You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Stuff’ category.
So this has been a very strange reading week. I had an overnight business trip at the beginning of the week which is often good for reading and I was well prepared, dragging my copy of the Book That Shall Not Be Named (which I’m still struggling to engage with fully) figuring that an evening on my own in the hotel and a 2 hours plus train journey back to London would make me read it. Of course, I also had the Kindle app on my phone and was distracted by zombies so how wrong was I?
Then I got hit with the dreaded lurgy and was basically off work for the rest of the week (and only really starting to feel well today if I’m honest). Day One I had a headache of such enormous proportions (amongst other symptoms I’m too delicate to elaborate on here) that I couldn’t read.
DISASTER.
However the remaining days of illness and convalescence were easier and being housebound and sofa-ridden I managed to read three whole novels and finish a book of short stores.
Clouds. Silver linings. It’s a cliche for a reason.
And now we’re nearly in December and despite the failure that was my WWI reading plan for this month I’m going to tempt fate and pull together a book list for the run up to Christmas. I’m sure I’ll add to this as I remember other titles but my starters are:
- The Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley
- Christmas Tales of Terror also by Chris Priestley
- Mystery in White by J Jefferson Farjeon
- 12 Days of Winter by Stuart MacBride
- The Mistletoe Bride by Kate Mosse
I’ve already had my most successful reading year for ages so I’m fairly relaxed about all of this. Do you have any special reading plans for December?
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?
Still really enjoying Trevor Royle’s book on Scotland in WWI, savouring it one chapter at a time. I am also close to the end of Shoggoths in Bloom by Elizabeth Bear.
The Jonathan Strange Update
Stalled; still on page 122 but not even an overnight stay in Manchester with nothing to do and a long train journey home last night didn’t encourage me to pick it up and read 😦
What did I recently finish reading?
I finished Station Eleven (a cracker) and Zone One (zombies, Manhattan, horror) (both on Kindle) and zipped through.
What do I think I’ll read next?
Probably going to abandon any thoughts of continuing with my not terribly successful WWI reading list plan and will pick up either Lock In by John Scalzi or James Smythe’s The Testimony.
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?
Still really enjoying Trevor Royle’s book on Scotland in WWI, savouring it one chapter at a time. I am also reading Shoggoths in Bloom by Elizabeth Bear and on Kindle The Martian by Andy Weir.
The Jonathan Strange Update
Still persevering; I am on page 122 but *whispers* haven’t picked it up in a couple of days. And it’s over 1000 pages long 😦
What did I recently finish reading?
I finished Foxglove Summer and Lovecraft Unbound and The Laws of Murder so feeling a little bit pleased with myself 🙂
What do I think I’ll read next?
No change from last week – will try to resist the temptation of the new Stephen King novel (but it’s looking mighty attractive) and pick up my WWI reading list, and I think there might be more short stories of a Cthulhu nature on the horizon.
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?
Not much reading done recently due to an excess of film watching and too much stuff going on at work. But still plugging away at Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Well into (and thoroughly fascinated by) Trevor Royle’s book on Scotland in WWI, and have recently started the new Ben Aaronovitch novel Foxglove Summer (I may have gone on about that a bit across a variety of social media!)
What did I recently finish reading?
I haven’t finished anything since my last WWW post *hangs head in shame*
What do I think I’ll read next?
Will try to resist the temptation of the new Stephen King novel and pick up my WWI reading list, and of course Jonathan Strange or bust.
I was very lucky to get tickets for the Ben Aaronovitch event at the Waterstones on Trafalgar Square yesterday evening to celebrate the publication of his new Peter Grant novel Foxglove Summer. Ben was accompanied by the actor who narrates the audiobook versions, Kobna Holbrook Smith, who read a short passage before we went into a lively and informative Q&A session.
Main things I learned from a hugely entertaining event were:
- potentially a film or TV adaptation (in very early pre-development)
- (cover your eyes if you haven’t read Broken Homes) he knew the Lesley thing had to happen from the very first book
- he will keep writing them until he runs out of ideas, people stop buying them or he can afford a yacht (some thoughts n the fact that it’s running costs not purchase price that’s expensive about a yacht, and also he means a proper Russian oligarch type yacht)
- as well as “what if there was a bit of the Met police that handled magic”, one of his other formative ideas was “what if Hogwarts had been a comprehensive”
- he would see doing Dr Who again as a backward step
- he recommends the work of Jasper Fforde and Phil Rickman (pleased about both of them)
A little bit of excitement for me (apart from simply getting the book signed of course) was that while waiting (patiently like a proper brought up British person) I was asked by his publicist if I would be filmed saying a few words about how I’d found out about his books (shout out to Silvery Dude) and had I recommended them to anyone (shout out to MargaRita Queen of Speed who was there with me). Great fun, lovely to be able to share my enthusiasm.
And there was wine!
And of course I started reading the thing as soon as I got home so watch this space for a review (so far so excellent)
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 started on my second attempt at reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell; I decided to go back to the very beginning and have just passed the point at which I abandoned the book earlier this year. I am also a couple of chapters into Trevor Royle’s book on Scotland in WWI which is good strong and absorbing non-fiction.
What did I recently finish reading?
Murder by Sarah Pinborough, on Kindle and both of Chris Riddell’s Goth Girl books which were a genuine pleasure to read.
What do I think I’ll read next?
Something from the fiction selection on my WWI reading list, not quite sure which one yet, depends on how I get on with the chunkster that is Jonathan Strange.
I’m using this post to keep track of my walking during November as part of the Book Blog Walkers thingy. My final tally for October can be found here (and includes the first two days of November as I record my walking from Monday to Sunday)
Week 1 (Nov 3)
- 18.6 km
- 4:49 hours
Week 2 (Nov 10)
- 14.5 km
- 3:28 hours
Week 3 (Nov 17)
- 20.2km
- 4:58 hours
Week 4 (Nov 24)
- 8.2 km
- 2:06 hours
I was travelling on business and then ill during the final week of November but think I’ve done pretty well for the month despite that.
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’m still working my way through Murder by Sarah Pinborough, on Kindle. I’m now 60% of the way through and still enjoying it though as it’s the most recent in a number of very dark reads I’ve also picked up Chris Riddell’s Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse which is a beautiful and hugely entertaining children’s book.
What did I recently finish reading?
The Book of Whispering Spirits by Jeff Ferrell is still my most recent completed read.
What do I think I’ll read next?
Having considered my choices I might park The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd and try something from the WWI reading shortlist I’ve been contemplating (and will blog about soon) and I guess that I really must try again with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I attempted and failed as part of the Long Awaited Reads Challenge earlier this year as it’s going to be on TV over Christmas.
I’ve been (and actually still am) on holiday (though back home now after a fortnight of comfortable hotels and working my way through a menu consisting largely of British wildlife) and thought I’d ease myself gently back into blogging by answering these three 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?
Murder by Sarah Pinborough, on Kindle. It’s the sequel to Mayhem which I read and enjoyed last year (my review is here). I’m about 20% of the way through and enjoying it though reading has slowed down as I’m still unpacking and sorting laundry and all that post-holiday stuff that we all enjoy so much.
What did I recently finish reading?
The Book of Whispering Spirits by Jeff Ferrell. Purchased on Kindle largely because of the Abigail Larson cover illustration (I love her work very much) and also because I really enjoy short stories. A review will follow in the next few days I’m sure.
What do I think I’ll read next?
I’m pondering a number of choices but as I’m still in the throes of RIP IX I suspect I’ll pick up The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd next.
I’m using this post to keep track of my walking during October as part of the Book Blog Walkers thingy. My final tally for September can be found here.
I am on holiday for three weeks (hurrah) so although I will be walking (a lot, probably) updates will be at a minimum until I get back.
Week 1 (Sep 29)
- 22 km
- 5:32 hours
Week 2 (Oct 6)
- 12.3 km
- 3:40 hours
Week 3 (Oct 13)
- 3.7 km
- 1:14 hours
The totals for the previous 2 weeks are the absolute minimum walked. The app I use to track myself is on my phone which of course requires a suitable connection and for a lot of the time I was in the middle of nowhere, when I wasn’t actually in the back of beyond 🙂
Week 4 (Oct 20)
- 7.8 km
- 1:54 hours
Week 5 (Oct 27)
- 18 km
- 4:17 hours
Bride of the Book God 