The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris. This was for May book club. I ended up not getting around to reading it, and not being able to attend the book club. 😦
And that’s it! I’m doing very well with the not buying books thing. Shame I’m also reading the slowest ever, so hardly shifting any of the tbr!
Books Read
Click on the book title to go to my review of the book.
I wrote about this great prize because it was won last year by the great Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (my review here). It’s a prize for writers of colour, and two of my favourite books from last year, were on the longlist. Happily one of them won, In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne (my review is here).
This year I’m not buying any new books. There are a few exceptions though, and this month it might seem like it’s all got a bit out of hand. I am starting a short story writing course – one session a month over the next six months. So, for academic purposes you understand, I bought a lot of short story books. But it’s ok, because I had to 😀
I’ll just list them all:
The Elephant Vanishes – Haruki Murakami
What We Talk About When We talk about Love – Raymond Carver
Unthology 7 – edited by Ashley Stokes and Robin Jones
Dear Life – Alice Munro
Any Other Mouth – Anneliese Mackintosh
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories – Ernest Hemingway
The Overcoat and Other Short Stories – Nikolai Gogol
The Collected Short Stories of Katherine MansfieldÂ
Dubliners – James Joyce
My Oedipus Complex: and Other Short Stories – Frank O’Connor
The New Yorker Stories – Ann Beattie
Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales – Margaret Atwood
Bradbury Classic Stories 1: The Grand Master Editions – Ray Bradbury
Four Bare Legs in a Bed and Other Stories – Helen Simpson
Plus Cold Bath Street by A. J. Hartley for book club.
And I got a book voucher and so pre-ordered a couple of books I really wanted!
It’s Not About the Burqa: Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality and Race edited by Mariam Khan
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men –Â Caroline Criado Perez
Books Read
I seem to be really struggling with reading this year. I’ve only been reading a book every two weeks, rather than my usual book a week. Just gonna go with it! Probably just a symptom of stress associated with an imminent house move.
Click on the book title to go to my review of the book.
Where Freedom Starts: Sex Power Violence #MeToo Edited by Verso Books, digital (delivered electronically)
A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things by Jason W. Moore and Raj Patel,Â
Radical Happiness by Lynne Segal
The Xenofeminist Manifesto by Laboria Cuboniks
Kindle sale got me:
Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body by Sara Pascoe
Small Island by Andrea Levy
Postcards From the Edge by Carrie Fisher
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies): Amazing women on what the F-word means to them by Scarlett Curtis
December is ‘buy all the books in the sale now because you’ve decided not to buy any next year’ month:
The Cosmopolitans by Sarah Schulman
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (turns out I meant to buy The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but this looks good too! Sevens and Evelyns.)
Milkman by Anna Burns
Quattrocento by James McKean
I also bought Marching Powder by Rusty Young, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, and I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell. Both for future book clubs.
And a last minute, December panic buy:
Call Them By Their True Names – Rebecca Solnit
Books Read
I didn’t do badly with four books in December. Considering I spent about half the month looking at Christmas recipes.
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell (review here)
New Erotica For Feminist: Satirical Fantasies of Love, Lust, and Equal Pay by by Caitlin Kunkel, Brooke Preston, Fiona Taylor, and Carrie Wittmer (review here)
Other blog posts
December always a time of yearly wrap up posts. Click the blog title to be taken to the post.
I didn’t read as much in 2018 as I did in 2017 but I’m still happy with reading just over a book a week.
How Many Books Did I Read?
55! I’m happy with that. 18 non fiction and 37 fiction.
The Stats on these Books
I would be happier with more non fiction, but the balance is ok for this one.
For the second year in a row, I have read about 2/3 female authors to male. This pleases me, though I would be happy with it going nearer to 50/50.
This is pathetic from me. I need to consciously sort this out and read more diversely.
This is also not that great. Heavily weighted to US and British authors. I would like to read more stories from people around the world. I’l endeavour to do this.
Some surprises in here. One is that I barely read any science books this year. Historical fiction had a boost, as did plain normal fiction.
Top Ten Blog Posts of the Year
Ok, four of my top ten are posts I wrote in 2017! I’m just gonna go with it. The stats don’t lie! Click the blog post title to go to the post.
1. Review of Rebellion Punk Festival 2017. I know, I know, it’s nothing to do with books. I very occasionally write about music. This one just seemed to hit a nerve!
2. Reservoir 13 – Jon McGregor. Oh dear… the book I really didn’t like. I don’t really go in for scathing reviews, but this book didn’t just not interest me, it actively annoyed me. I didn’t hold back with this review because it’s a hugely popular author and the book was widely loved. I felt my little opinion could be honest for this one.
5. The Power – Naomi Alderman. Another 2017 post. The Power is an excellent book and quite rightly it should be one of my most viewed posts!
6. 20 Books of Summer Challenge 2018. I didn’t do so well on this challenge in 2018. I only managed 13 books – though I did read 2/3 of The Iliad. I finished 1 book in the entire of August – oh dear.
For the purposes of my yearly wrap ups I go Dec 2017 to Nov 2018, because I can’t accept that I might not finish more amazing books over the next week. That means I read 15 non fiction books this year. I think I could have done better, but never mind! I read 22 last year, but I’ve read less over all this year in general. Last year I split them into politics and feminism, biography and memoir, and science – but I don’t have enough books to do separate ones this year, so they are all getting put together!
So here are my top non fiction reads from this year:
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
I’ve been recommending this book to everyone since I read it, and I was so happy that my book club chose it for their December read. It’s about race relations in Britain. It covers many different aspects from education, feminism, and black history. This would be my top book of the whole year. My review is here.
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century – Timothy Snyder
Twenty practical things you can do in your life to help combat the rise of tyranny. Each one backed up by twentieth century history. Brilliant and made me feel less useless in the face of what seems like the world imploding around us. My review is here.
The Descent of Man – Grayson Perry
Masculinity, what’s wrong with it, and how ideas about it should change to be healthier for everyone! It’s also very funny. My review is here.
Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood – Hollie McNish
Poems about pregnancy and motherhood, with McNish telling her story from finding out she was pregnant, up to her daughter being about three years old. So honest and brutal, yet full of love. My review is here.
The Mother of All Questions: Further Feminisms – Rebecca Solnit
A follow up to Men Explain Things To Me, Solnit covers all things feminism that aren’t already covered in Men Explain. It’s no exaggeration to say I found the title essay life affirming. I would really highly recommend this book, but read Men Explain first if you haven’t already read that. My review of The Mother of All Questions is here, and my review of Men Explain Things to Me is here!
A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf addressed a women’s college 1928 and talks about women and writing fiction. This extended essay is based on those talks. My review is here.
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting – Robert McKee
An unexpected top book entry here! I never expected that a book about screen writing would be that interesting to me, but I found this analysis of what makes a good story fascinating. There’s a huge list of films at the back too, and I love a list to work through. My review is here.
Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher
Fisher’s story of her life. She is hilarious. And her life has been bonkers. My review is here.
I’m a Joke and So Are You: A Comedian’s Take on What Makes up Human – Robin Ince
About brains, and the strange things they do. Really interesting read and funny, of course! My review is here.
Honourable mention to Ad Astra by Dallas Campbell. It would have made the top list, but it was covered by my list from last year (read it here) before I decided to make my year go Nov to Dec!
Here are all the non-fiction books I read this year. Click the book title to go to my review of it:
I’ve just finished writing my October 2018 one, so thought I’d just get on with the November one straight away!
Books Bought
I bought the kindle version of The Complete Short Stories: Vol. 1 by Roald Dahl, because it was in the 99p deals one day.
Later in the month, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson was also in the kindle 99p sale.
That’s it for outright buying. I also got Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham in a subscription box I get. I loved Gilmore Girls, so I’m really happy to get this book!
I received this fantastic sounding book from Faber & Faber. A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas. Getting sent books is a complete rare even for me! This is only the second I’ve ever received. So it’s fantastically exciting!
The Outsider by Albert Camus (review to follow shortly)
Looks like I’m slowing down towards the end of the year. I know all I’m going to want to do in December is look at xmas recipes! and that’s going to get in the way of reading 😀
I’m slightly late with this one! But it is just about still November… for another 5 hours anyway. I read seven books in October! This compares with only two so far in the whole of November. I guess I was having a quiet social life month back then.
Books Bought
Wake by Anna Hope for book club. This was chosen to tie in with the 100 yr WWI anniversary this year and remembrance day.
  Â
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, 75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition
by Edith Hamilton. This book is beautiful. The cover is all shiny and there are several colour illustrations inside that are just gorgeous.Â
The Gallows Pole Ben Myers. I bought this because I was going to another Manchester Literature Festival event in December with Ben Myers and Adelle Stripe (see two books further down!). I can’t go now because now my daughter’s school play is on the same evening – for one night only! I will have to relinquish my tickets… so two more may become available! This book looks great. I have seen it around a lot – probably just remembered because of the distinctive cover. It’s about coin forgers in Yorkshire!
I next bought the kindle version of The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson because it was 99p and I’d been reading great things about this translation.
Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile by Adelle Stripe. Bought because I was going to be going to that Lit Fest event.This book looks amazing though. It’s based on the life of Andrea Dunbar, who famously wrote the play Rita, Sue and Bob Too.Â
I’m a Joke and So Are You: A Comedian’s Take on What Makes us Human by Robin Ince. A supermarket bargain!
Books Read
Seven this month! Click the book name to be taken to my review.
I went a bit mental in the first part of the month…
Firstly, a book arrived in a subscription box I get. I keep thinking this doesn’t count as a bought book, but I clearly pay an extortionate amount for the box! It was I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. Â
Then Oxfam books went and had a 3 for 2 sale!
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel
Life on the Edge: the Coming of Age of Quantum Biology by Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
Eagle-eyed numbers people might be curious about me buying 5 books during a three for two sale. Well I also bought four kids books too.
Next I found a great sale on Amazon and bought ten books one lunchtime.
So what did I buy:
 The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I already own one unread copy of this, but I keep hearing it’s so good I’m going to give this someone for a xmas pressie.
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
This is Going to Hurt by Adam KayÂ
Artemis by Andy Weir. I LOVED The Martian, so have high hopes, but a friend recently told me this books is WEIRD. I need to read it soon to see if I agree or not!
A bunch of Penguin Little Black Classics
Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast by Oscar Wilde
Why I Am So Clever by Friedrich Nietzsche
The Suffragettes by Various
The Fall of Icarus by Ovid
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
I’m sorry I can’t see or hear the word manifesto without this song jumping immediately into my head.
Anyway, here’s the haul again:
I also around this time bought Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday. Probably because it’s got a science word in the title. (Not pictured! I didn’t photograph it when it arrived. A clear sign of too much book buying going on). I now have no idea why I actually bought this.
Then a few weeks went buy and I bought myself Cooking With Columbo: Suppers with the Shambling Sleuth by Jenny Hammerton, well because, just look at it. I just wanted to own it.
Books Read
Finished five books this month. Much better than the one I managed in August! Click the title name for a link to my review.
This post is part of Top 10 Tuesdays by ThatArtsyReaderGirl. Every week is a different theme, and lots of bloggers join in. The other posts on this theme can be found over at thatartsyreadergirl.com. I also know it’s Wednesday! but I never get time on a Tuesday.
I’m choosing to go by number of pages, according to goodreads. Some of my top 10 were trilogys – but clearly just chucking three books together can’t possibly count, so I’m ignoring those! and if that counted, then adding up all the Sharpe books would mean I’d read a book that was thousands of pages long, and clearly I haven’t. I’ve read about 20 normal sized books.
What you’re going to learn from this list is that I am not afraid of a long book, or a series, and that I sometimes read total trash. Only two books in this top ten are not part of a series. This just shows what the power of getting drawn into a series can do! I choose very carefully when I decide if I want to read a book one of anything…
10. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. 784 pages.
A Song of Fire and Ice book 2. I loved this whole series so much that I read the lot in six weeks. Then I discovered the series wasn’t finished, and now I believe IT NEVER WILL. I loved these books so much I barely noticed the books were so big. Four make it into this top ten. And I mostly gave them four of five star ratings.
9. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. 848 pages.
A Song of Fire and Ice book 1. Five star brilliantness. I enjoyed the tv version (tits and dragons, what’s not to love? well, a lot really, it’s quite problematic 😀 but it is also very watchable) but we all know how much better the books are, right? yes!
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling. 870 pages.
Harry Potter book 5. Wow this one was a big book for kids!
7. Appassionata by Jilly Cooper. 896 pages.
Rutshire Chronicles book 5. Oh we’ve hit the Jilly Cooper section. I didn’t rate this one that much really, but I was on book five and so heavily invested in the series!
6. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. 912 pages.
Ooh Becky Sharpe. Loved her character, but only gave this three stars. That’s quite damning from me.
5. Riders by Jilly Cooper. 919 pages
Rutshire Chronicles book 1. Oh I would never have read this huge book, with THAT cover had I not heard the devotion of so many of my friends to Rupert Campbell-Black and his antics. Show jumping and rich, posh people. It’s not what I normally look for in a book. But I urge you to go and read this one of you haven’t already. It’s a super fun read, chaps!
4. Wicked by Jilly Cooper. 1008 pages.
This is book 8 of the Rutshire Chronicles. It’s perhaps worth noting that I only gave this a one star rating. That means I absolutely fucking hated it. But I still read it?? what is wrong with me!
3. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin. 1061 pages
A Song of Fire and Ice book 4. Another great instalment in this series. I can’t even really say anything more about this series, so instead here is the fantastic Britney Spears song, Hot as Ice, that I think of whenever I hear the name ‘A Song of Fire and Ice’.
2. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin. 1125 pages
A Song of Fire and Ice book 5. Book five and I gave this one FIVE STARS. It’s not often that a series still holds up by book 5. Are you tempted to give them a go now? If you do, just remember, the next book is just never going to appear, so you will be as sad as I am about it.
 1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. 1276 pages
Wow was this hard to get through? (YES IT WAS). It was a book club book, and if it hadn’t been I doubt I would have got through it. I liked the first half, and disliked the second half. As it turns out this was such a bad book club book, that book club never met to even talk about it, and we didn’t do book club for about a year after. This book is a book club killer! But I still gave it four stars. Perhaps that was just the relief it was over!
Surprises from this list? Where is Crime and Punishment? I felt like I deserved an award when I’d finished that. Surely it was 3000 tedious pages long??
Last month I bought one book. ONE book. Then the summer holidays happened and I must have gone a bit mental.
Firstly I bought A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn because I’m excited about a potential trip to the US next year (fingers crossed for me that it works out!).
Then I bought A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin. I’ve been after this since I discovered it existed because, well, it’s title is great and I have a few of her non fiction books already. Janna Levin is a theoretical cosmologist. <3<3<3
Slabs From Paradise by Jason Williamson was next. I just needed to buy nice things to get me through the long days. Jason Williamson is the singer in one of my favourite bands, Sleaford Mods.Â
And if anyone has a copy of one of his other books, Grammar Wanker, I would like it please. I’m so sad I didn’t buy a copy when it came out. 😀
Next I bought Karoo by Steve Tesich, because I remember Bookshambles going on about it. Also, The Portable Dorothy Parker by erm… Dorothy Parker. This one was on my reading list challenge from last year, and recently a friend has been reading some Dorothy Parker and I realised I needed to read some too.
homemade guacamole = the best food
Next I bought Crudo by Olivia Laing just because I wanted to, alright.
Around the end of the month I booked some tickets for some of the Manchester Literature Festival’s events. I’m now on a mini mission to read at least one book by everyone I’ll be seeing, so first up is: In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne. This one is also on the Man Booker longlist.
Miss Nightingale’s Nurses by Kate Eastham is the book club book for the Continental book club in Preston, for October. Excitingly this is a book written by ONE OF THE BOOK CLUB MEMBERS. Total excitement.
with some NURSE STUFF
I then bought A Drink of One’s Own: Cocktails for Literary Ladies by Laura Becherer and Cameo Marlatt. I’ve had this in my wishlist for a while, then I realised that I’m literally the only person who buys things from my wishlist. It’s just my long term shopping list. And I really want to drink more lovely cocktails. It’s brilliant too. I might need to do a monthly cocktail club where I read a book, and then drink the cocktail dedicated to the author. Â
Finally, I needed the book for another book club I’m in, so I got Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron.
So I didn’t do well at not buying books. So much so that I have now imposed a book buying ban. But wait until you see how wrong that went in September…
Books Read
Crisis by Frank Gardner.
Oh dear. I finished one book. PATHETIC. I haven’t even reviewed it yet. PATHETIC.
I hope your book reading in August was more successful than mine!
   
Be Exactly Who You Want To Be 