Sunday Salon: Spell the Month in Books - March

 

Reviews From the Stacks

For 2025 I have decided to have a go at Spell the Month in Books which is hosted at Reviews From the Stacks. The link party opens on the first Saturday of the month, but I won't be posting until after that as I already have other things scheduled every Saturday and for the first two Sundays of the month.

The idea is that you use the title of books to spell the month name. There is also a theme each month, with the theme for March being Sci Fi. I am not going to lie. I thought I was really going to struggle with sticking to the theme, but this was actually the easiest one so far!

The Martian by Andy Weir - This is one of my favourite movies, and I loved the audiobook of it too.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness - It's funny. I was thinking about using a different Patrick Ness book for something else the other day, and then I needed an A and here this one was! This is the second book in the Chaos Walking series.

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells - I love the Murderbot series. They aren't my normal genre, but they are fun and irreverent, a bit violent but oh so good!

Cordelia's Honor  by Lois McMaster Bujold - Somewhat strangely these are a combined issue of books 1 and 7 in the Vorkisagan series. 

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir  - I have read the first book in this series, Gideon the Ninth, but haven't read this one yet

Much easier than I expected! 

The April theme is Animal on the Cover or in the Title.

I am sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Names/Character Names in the Title

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books with Names/Character Names In the Titles (Submitted by BookLoversBlog and Lucy @ Bookworm Blogger)!

To create this list I went back to my handy dandy spreadsheet, started at the latest book and found 10 books. This is a fun topic though, and I am sure I could go back further and find another 10 titles without trying too hard! In fact, I am pretty sure you could do a list just featuring one or two names!

Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin - I could have chosen one of several of Rebecca Raisin's books (review)

Matilda Next Door by Kelly Hunter - This was part of two quartets set in a small Australian country town, and all of the books had character names as titles. In the end I chose this one because Kelly Hunter is an author I love to read. (review)

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees - I read this book 18 months or so ago now and I really enjoyed it. It is set in the immediate aftermath of WWII and it was a really enjoyable read. (review)

Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys - This book was originally published as a series of letters during WWII. 

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - I guess technically I could have featured The Rose Code here too but let's change it up a bit and choose this one instead.

Dear Banjo by Sasha Wasley - The main character of this book's really name is Willow Patterson, but she is affectionately known as Banjo, hence the title.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - Oh, an opportunity to feature a Melina Marchetta book! I'll take that.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - I suspect this book might be on a few lists this week!

Circe by Madeline Miller - Circe is the daughter of a god and this book tells her story.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I nearly forgot this one!!

And a bonus one just so I can share this video...

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl - This was already a magic book but right back at the beginning of the pandemic, Taika Waititi gathered together some of his famous friends and shared the story of James and the Giant Peach and it was so much fun! Here's the first episode

This week...

First things first! I announced the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge last week so if you like historical fiction and you like reading challenges then it would be great to have you join us!

I'm reading....

After that introduction you would expect that I would be reading historical fiction, but I am reading outside my comfort zone this week. I am reading Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muirwhich is hard to classify but lets go with dark fantasy featuring necromancers. It took me a while to get into the voice but right now I am enjoying it. I can't extend it from the library so I need to get on and finish it

I am back in more familiar territory with the audiobook that I am still listening too which is The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. This was the first Kearsley I ever read and it is still probably my favourite of her books. It has been a few years since I read this book and as I am listening to it I am being surprised all over again as certain things happen in the book. I have about an hour to go so I am hoping to finish it this week

I'm watching...

Last week I got a recommendation for a series called We Are Lady Parts which was a good series to watch. The series is about a group of five Muslim women from London who form a punk band. It is unexpected in many ways.

We have really loved Travels with my Father with Jack Whitehall with his father Michael. It was therefore a no brainer that we were going to watch Christmas with my Father, which was our Friday night treat.

On Saturday we started watching Hawkeye which is another Marvel series. This one is also set at Christmas time so you get Christmassy feels and comedy/action.

We also started watching season two of The Great and the first episode did not disappoint.

Life

We now have something every weekend in December and January is filling up quickly too. This weekend I visited the Johnston Collection with some friends. I hadn't visited before but we will definitely be back. It is a museum of fine and decorative art. It is an amazing place, full of antiques and beautiful trinkets, which are all enhanced by embroiderers who have taken inspiration from the gorgeous items and then throw in a Christmas twist. I will be talking more about this during the week.

We also caught up with friends for brunch and then we went shopping for items for the new house. We thought we were going to buy a heater but instead we bought the pendant lights for the kitchen (no, note the one above, that's from the Johnston Collection). In exciting news we finally have a start date for the build!

 

Festive treats...

This week it has been all about Christmas music, in particular new Christmas music. Australian music legend Paul Kelly has released a new Christmas album. I think I need to listen to a bit more to give it an opportunity to grow on me.

The other album that is new to me is Wintertime Dreams: A Parisian Christmas which I know that I am going to listen to several times between now and Christmas.

Here are the festive treats I have read, listened and watched so far this year:

1. Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin

2. The Happiest Season 

3. The Christmas Secret by Karen Swan

4. Love Harder 

5. A Castle for Christmas

6. Hawkeye

7.  Christmas Train - Paul Kelly

8. Christmas with my Father

9. Wintertime Dreams: A Parisian Christmas- Tatiana Eva-Marie and the Avalon Jazz Band

10. Single all the Way

Posts from the last week

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - December 

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2022 sign up post

Music A-Z: Z

Weekend Cooking: What I Baked in November

Six Degrees of Separation: Ethan Frome to The Red Tent

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date