You are currently browsing the daily archive for December 31, 2014.
Well this has been a bumper reading year for me. As always I aim for 52 books in 52 weeks, a challenge that got me into book blogging in the first place way back in 2007. This year I actually read 73 books, both a surprise and a delight. I think the reason I did so well is down to talking more about books with friends both online and in the real world (good thing) and several bouts of illness which meant I was sofa-bound and couldn’t do much other than read (bad thing). And taking part in the the 24 hour readathon in April also helped as I read 8 books in one night (and raised money for charity at the same time).
But what of these books you ask?
Well, I don’t really like best of lists, and definitely not Top10s because it seems so arbitrary and I just don’t want to have to choose. So what I thought I’d do highlight the things that jump out to me from what I’ve read this year.
- I’ve been good at keeping on top of or catching up with my favourite series – big stand-outs here were in August where I read four each of Charles Finch and Jacqueline Winspear which took me up to and including their latest published novels (though Finch cheated by bringing out a new volume later in the year, but I’ve read that too now);
- I’ve rediscovered my love of (mostly genre) short stories;
- zombies are a thing – if you’d asked me a year or so ago I would have pulled a face about zombie novels but I’ve read and enjoyed several this year;
- the end of the world (as we know it) is also a thing, often combined with zombies of course but also viruses and such like, and I find them difficult to resist;
- I still love classic crime – AA Milne’s one and only crime novel being a particular delight, but the British Library classic reprints also look excellent;
- I read much more quickly on the Kindle app on my iPad;
- lots of new authors but the two that struck me the most were James Smythe (I read four of his with another waiting to be picked up) and Jeff VanderMeer who’s been around for a while but whose Southern Reach trilogy was just brilliant.
So that was 2014. Wonder what delights 2015 has in store 🙂
W… W… W… Wednesdays poses the following questions:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
What am I currently reading?
I have decided that I really don’t want to continue with A Fire Upon the Deep, it just isn’t grabbing me. The Book God is disappointed but agrees this is not grounds for divorce. I have also set aside Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin, to pick up again after the holidays. Which means I’m *gasp* not actually reading anything at the moment!
The Jonathan Strange Update
Still on page 134. As suspected was distracted by shiny new things. But I am not downhearted and now that I am on holiday until 7 January I am determined to make progress. Baby steps, but progress nonetheless.
What did I recently finish reading?
Read quite a lot over Christmas, but most recently finished The Advent Killer which I reviewed here.
What do I think I’ll read next?
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell and/or The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross.
Bride of the Book God 