December Reading Roundup

Whilst it is really time to do some kind of summary of my whole 2009 reading year, first I am going to do my regular monthly round up.

In December, I managed to read 13 books. I think my days of reading 18-20 books in a month are gone, mainly because of the reduction in my commute time, so I am pretty happy with 13 books. I think it is more like my new normal than anything. Here's what I read:

Black Hills by Nora Roberts 4/5
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts 4.5/5
Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden 4.5/5
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer 4.5/5
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare 4/5
The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick 4.5/5
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig 4/5
To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt 4/5
This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James 4/5

Hmm, lots of romance in there! Definitely was feeling the need for comfort reads during December apparently.

So how did I go on reading challenges for December then? How many challenge fails?

As I mentioned in last month's roundup, I didn't complete the Art History Reading Challenge. The idea was that I was supposed to read 6 books during 2009. In the end I managed to read 3. Of course, failing at it this year hasn't stopped me from signing up for the challenge again this year!

I am thinking that I am probably not going to finish the Harry Potter Reading Challenge either. There's still 7 months to go, but I haven't read anything. I will leave it for another month or two before officially declaring

I finally have the first book in the Vampire Diaries series out from the library, so I might actually be able to start that challenge.

You may note that there are no Pratchett books in that list! That's right, I didn't manage to read any books for my own challenge!


The one challenge that I did make progress on this month was the Period Drama Challenge. The other night I watched Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman etc, and I enjoyed it very much! I don't know why but I haven't seen many of the favourite classic adaptations over the year. For instance, I have never seen all of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. I know, it's a travesty. Almost as much of a travesty as the fact that I have never read any of the Austen books either.

I have to say though that the big romantic scene in Sense and Sensibility was not quite as romantic as it might have been if I had not recalled this scene from the Vicar of Dibley so clearly. It's hard not to remember so clearly given how many of times I have seen these particular episodes. And, no this is not just and opportunity for gratuitous Richard Armitage. Really!



Of course, now that I have showed that scene, I really have to show this scene as well:



This one is just for a gratuitous Richard Armitage video! It's the promo for Strike Back which is going to be on in the UK later this year!







Now I need to go and work on my end of year post, my beginning of year post, and you know, maybe do some blog tidying up or some cleaning or reading, or maybe I will just watch these videos again because they make me happy.

November reading round up

Before we get too much further into December, I really should do my November round up! At first I thought that I had had a pretty good month when it comes down purely to numbers but I might have been a bit wrong.

This month I managed to read 11 books. One of those, Night Play, was a reread. I don't often do rereads, but in this case I had gone to my friend's house for a cocktail party and was up at 6am despite the late night we had had the night before. I actually didn't take a book with me, but I have been lending my friend quite a few vampire romances so this one was at her house. I couldn't help but to keep reading once I had started! Mmmm....Vane.

Here are the books that I read in November.

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson 4.5/5
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger 4.5/5
Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin 4/5
Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning 4/5
Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts 4/5
When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James 4/5
The Food of Love by Anthony Capella 4/5
The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters 4/5
Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell 4.5/5
Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon 4.5/5
Painting Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis 4/5

Do you have a scientific method for grading your books. For me, the grading is purely a gut reaction, and not really something that I can define enough to say well I gave this book 4 out of 5 and this one 4.5 out of 5 and these are the differences between the two books. The reason I mention this is that there is at least one book in there that I would probably have graded differently if I was to assign a grade to it now.

As far as challenges go, the year is coming to an end, and I think I have been pretty good at finishing most of the challenges I signed up for. The other thing that the end of the year means is that next year's challenges are all being announced, and it is fair to say that I have been signing up for more than I have been finishing!

One challenge that I don't think I will be completing this year is the Art History Challenge, although I did manage to finish one book for it during November. Painting Mona Lisa gives us a story behind one of the most famous faces in the world. It was a pretty good read. In order to complete the challenge you need to read 6 books, but I think this is only my third one so far.

The Harry Potter Reading Challenge doesn't finish until the middle of next year, but there is a fair chance that I am not going to finish that one either. When I originally signed up it was because my brother had told me that he had bought me all of the audio books narrated by Jim Dale so my plan was to listen to them. So far, I have not yet sighted those audio books, and I am not sure if I am really going to any time soon.

I have been waiting for what seems an eternity for the first book in the L J Smith series, The Vampire Diaries. It has just come into the library so I am planning to go and pick it up in the next week or so.

So, have you started thinking about the challenges you are going to sign up for next year? I have been signing up to a few. I am particularly partial to challenges for lovely buttons.

The first new challenge that I have signed up for this month is the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which is being hosted by Royal Reviews. I will be going to aim for the top level which is Obsessed and read 20 novels. Full details of the challenge can be found here.

Another challenge being hosted by Royal Reviews is the Romance Reading Challenge. Again, I will be aiming for the highest level, Obsessed, and try and read 20 romances during the year.

There are at least two challenges that I am waiting for announcements on so that I can formally sign up for. Of  course, there is also my own Terry Pratchett challenge which I will also be trying to read for as well!

I can't help but feel that there is another challenge somewhere that I said I would particpate in, but at the moment I can't think what it is. It will come to me eventually.

July 2009 Reading Update

Not a bad reading month this month. The number of books read was down a little, and I am not really sure why, but overall I have been reading less all year so that just continues the trend.

The books I did read this month were:

Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham 4/5
Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas 4.5/5
The Dream Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon 4/5
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y K Lee 4/5
Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn 4.5/5
Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts 4.5/5
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich 4/5
The Dark Rose by Cynthia Harrod Eagles 4.5/5
Chosen by P C Cast and Kristin Cast 4/5
An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James 4/5
Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters 4.5/5
The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella 4.5/5

Of the challenges that I have not yet completed this year, I didn't make any progress on the Art History reading challenge, but I have borrowed a couple of books that will fit the theme, so hopefully in the next couple of months I will make some progress.

I read two books this month for the War Through the Generations challenge - The Piano Teacher by Janice Y K Lee and The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella. I think I have one more book to read to complete this challenge.

At this point I have read 86 books that I started this year and so not long to go before I finish the 100+ reading challenge.

This month I joined in the Period Drama Challenge, which isn't about reading at all, but rather watching period dramas. Last night I watched the last quarter of North and South (again) so now I will probably watch the whole thing again and then that will be one down for that challenge as well.

I did mention last month that I was thinking about joining a couple more challenges, and now I am officially joining both the Harry Potter reading challenge. Whilst I have read the first four books in the Harry Potter series, I didn't ever get around to reading the last three. My brother is supposed to be giving me the audio version as read by Stephen Fry so I will most likely listen to that in order to complete this challenge.

The other challenge that I am signing up for is the Reliquiae Challenge because I really can't resist paranormal books! I am going for the highest level (Haunted Nights). My first three books are going to be Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur, Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I will work out the other three books in due course.

Finally, a big thank you to Gina from Book Dragon who has awarded me the Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks Gina!