The Hang My Head in Shame Personal Challenge

I would say that I read a lot of books. A lot more than (most) of my friends and family. But there’s always a number of books that I read or hear about that I still haven’t got around to reading. It seems that everyone in the bloggisphere, the newspapers and on the train has read them. Do I nod intelligently when people discussed them, keeping my ignorance quiet or do I shout it out to the world? I’m compromising – I’m letting you know that I haven’t read these.

I hadn’t undertaken any challenges in 2012 for several reasons. The first being that I’ve gone back to uni and am studying by correspondence, so I wasn’t sure about the kind of impact it would have on my reading time. It hasn’t been too bad so far. The second reason is that I feel pressured by the need to tick off my challenges – I don’t like having things on the to-do list if they can be achieved with relative ease.

So I present to you, my head bowed, a list of books I want to read this year that everyone else has:

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

   (I bought this from Borders. Enough said?)

2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

   (Was put off this one when someone I detested said I must read it. Haven’t even seen the movie).

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

   (An English class at school had to read this – not my class. We read Pride and Prejudice).

4. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

   (This was bought from a physical Angus & Robertson store!)

5. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

   (Had planned to read this earlier until a friend said it was the saddest book she’d ever read – and we were working in a pretty sad place at the time!)

6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

   (Not sure why I’ve never got around to this. It looks like something I’d really like).

7. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

   (Going to blame this on Bryce writing this when I was still reading The Babysitters Club. I’ve read a lot of his more recent books, so this should be read too.)

8. Bossypants by Tina Fey

   (Never watched 30 Rock but it seems like this is one of the most funny books out there).
   

    

What do you think? Have I picked a good list or should I retreat now?

Super Busy September

I’ve been really busy lately – I’m even writing this post on (gasp!) the second of October. I’m pretty behind in my reviews and even suffering from a bit of reading fatigue, partially because I’m doing a lot of study related reading for work. Six books managed to make their way onto this blog.

One thing that will be coming up soon in October is my review of Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84. In short, it’s absolutely brilliant and I suggest you all preorder a copy now! I’ve read Books 1 & 2 and can’t wait to get my hands on the third.

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is on again this month from the 15th-19th (hosted by Leeswammes) and I’ll be involved, with a prize available internationally.

What did I manage to do in September? I showed you quite a few books that I’d bought/received (I’ve been somewhat more settled lately, not overly inspired by the Christmas releases I’ve seen so far). I read some books given to me as Galleys/ARC (thank you Readings Books, Allen and Unwin, Bloomsbury and Net Galley) as well as my own stash. I was introduced to some new authors (Miranda Darling and Diane Armstrong) as well as rediscovering Haruki Murakami. I really can’t pick a favourite for the month.

In respect to challenges, I’ve completed them all (finally!) I’ve read 46 books off my shelves – next year I’ll have to aim higher.

Again, strange and wonderful search terms help people find this blog (is that a reflection on me perhaps?) Most people were looking for The Last Letter From Your Lover, but others had different things on their mind:

• silhouettes of sting the police
• 5 nicholas sprarks cliches
• colleen chick naked
• i liked fall of giants
• south park great gatsby
• sammy sense of sensibility by jane austen
• daisy goodwin porn
• diorissimo is this the perfume from the wind-up bird chronicle?
• penny vincenzi novels were on kobo and now they are not
• word count of one day by david nicholls
• paper dolls stewardess

Did you read more in September? What were your favourites?

 

 

All over August

Even though I managed to read eight books in August, I think I spent nearly as much time reading as I did buying books. (More to come in September) I am still behind in reviews; sitting at a desk job (only temporary) in front of a computer all day keeps me away from the computer at night!

I read three ARC galleys from Net Galley - I think they are my new library. Although I’ve now read my original galleys, I’ve asked and kindly received more (except for The Language of Flowers, was refused for that one). These look very exciting, so stay tuned!

My favourite read for the month was The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes, a heartbreaking novel about lost love. Cheers to Net Galley again for giving me the opportunity to read a book I’ve never have picked up otherwise. I’ve found a new favourite author! I enjoyed all the books I read and reviewed in August, so there were no ‘bad’ books for me this month. (Except for the paper I’m currently reviewing!)

The challenges, most of them are now complete…

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

I’ve read Sputnik Sweetheart, but not happy with my review. It needs some work before I post it. I’ll also be reading 1Q84 this month, thanks to Readings Books!

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

Now up to 41 for the year but I’ve probably bought that many this year, thanks to book fire sales.

Weird and wonderful terms in August:

• new books released india (never been sorry, can’t help)
• mad men paper dolls
• sister by rosamund lupton is awful
• michael schumacher the stig autobiography (he’s not, actually)
• famous australian freemasons
• kinokuniya thailand david nicholls
• car fixed club x trail
• nissan x trail dies out
• dawn french naked
• why aren’t penny vincenzi novels on kobo (they are!)
• школьница 3 (schoolgirl 3)
• number of words in shaun micallefs’ smithereens

Most people were looking for Rosamund Lupton’s Sister though.

How did you go in August? Was it too hot or too cold to read?

 

 

 

 

July’s…somethings (or What I Read Last Month)

I did run out of alliteration for months in July! There is just a lack of J words around. It’s been a cold month for being away from the heater, so I am still a bit behind in my reviews. I did publish seven reviews though, including some ARCs. I still have some ARCs to read though (mainly thanks to Net Galley), so hopefully I’ll finish those in August.

My favourite read for the month was Villain by Shuichi Yoshida, a translation from the Japanese about a murder on a mountain and a group of young people who visit an online dating site. Suspense and mystery combined brilliantly.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan seemed to polarise people – you either love it or hate it. I’m the latter, it was well thought out but just not my cup of tea.

Now for my challenges…

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

My challenge: Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors)

Only one this month (The Gruen Transfer by Jon Casimir), bringing my total to six books.

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

I’ve read Sputnik Sweetheart, review in August.

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

My challenge: Neophyte (read the original)

Completed last month. My review is here.

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

My challenge: Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

Still on 14 – none read this month, very unusual for me!

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

Now onto 36 for the year but still buying far too many books.

Funny and odd search terms this month:

• best travel documentary michael palin jeremy clarkson
• goodwin my last duchess the hummingbird man
• missing book sam
• my nissan x trail won’t crank over
• erline jenschke in fredericksburg, texas
• how to connect the customer in the grand hyatt singapore
• food mentioned in henrietta lacks
• recipies (sic) for a visit from the goon squad

Everyone wanted to know about A Visit from the Goon Squad this month, the most popular post and search term.

Whether it’s summer or winter in your part of the world, did you do much reading last month?

 

 

 

 

Jumping out of June and into July

I’m almost certainly going to run out of alliteration for months soon! J is a difficult letter for month summaries.

I’m a bit behind in my reviews, so I only managed to post six reviews. Half of these were ebooks and half were non-fiction, surprisingly! I was also introduced to the works of Andrey Kurkov through Melville House Publishing. I celebrated a blog birthday and took part in the fantastic Literary Giveaway Blog Hop though! Unfortunately, Australia lost its final Borders stores this month and I’ll show you my pickings in stages over July (there’s quite a few of them).

My favourite read of the month was a tie – Death and the Penguin by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov for its irony and penguin and Hospital Babylon for its hilarity combined with sadness.

Now onto the challenges…

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

My challenge: Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors)

No Aussie authors read this month – shame! I have read five books this year though.

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

Still haven’t gotten any further yet – must read one soon – perhaps when my work schedule is a bit quieter ( the worst will be over in a fortnight). Should I choose Sputnik Sweetheart  or The Elephant Vanishes?

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

My challenge: Neophyte (read the original)

Completed! My review is here.

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

My challenge: Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

Now up to 14 – only book that counted this month was Small Island – a great read of post-war Britain.

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

I’ve hit 32 for the year…but have bought way too many books in June (see forthcoming posts). I can’t cram any more into my bookshelves!

In terms of the blog, I had a very busy month due to the blog hop. This didn’t stop the strange search terms coming, I had some great ones, including:

• stewardess 60s, stewardess birthday
• richard hammond visits a diving pool
• nissan x trail fuel lift pump
• australian breakfast singapore borders
• food mentioned in the immortal life of henrietta lacks
• gear for teen boys
• you are not that old swedish book written by doctor from stockholm published october 2011
• sense and sensibility is a horrible book
• singapore grand hyatt club cocktail hours
• erline jenschke
• preincarnation and chosing a time period to live in

Michael Palin was the most popular search term and most of you were interested in the literary Giveaway Blog Hop (mine was won by Mae). Fortune Cookie by Bryce Courtenay  is still very popular and rightly so – it’s an excellent book, combining Mad Men-style advertising with Singapore and a mystery.

Did you get much reading done in June?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May’s Musings

May was a quieter blogging month for me, mainly due to loads of extra work and study commitments. I have been working away behind the scenes quietly over the previous weekend, so you can expect a bit more action in June. I did manage to read and review seven books though.

As usual, how I’m going on my challenges:

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

My challenge: Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors)

I’ve already completed this challenge (back in February), but I’m going to add Sara Foster’s Beneath the Shadows because she states that she feels like she belongs to the UK and Australia (see here). I’m up to five books now.

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

The Elephant Vanishes and Sputnik Sweetheart  are still sitting on my bookshelf. I’ll attempt to read one soon, but which one?

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

My challenge: Neophyte (read the original)

I’m just about to finish this! Review coming in June.

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

My challenge: Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

I completed this in April, but read Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman and The Fallen Kings (Morland Dynasty 32) by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I guess One Day by David Nicholls doesn’t count, even though it starts in the 1980s? So I’m now up to 13.

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

29 paper books read now! My bookshelves are still overflowing though.

I enjoyed One Day by David Nicholls the most in May. I loved the ‘one day a year’ concept and look forward to seeing the movie.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan were my most popular reviews this month. Thanks to those who left comments, I’m slowly replying. Henrietta Lacks and Michael Palin were popular search terms. Of course, there are the wonderfully odd search terms I get:

• girl island war ireland
• bad 1960s advertising
• famous australian ‘freemasons’
• goaty creatures (Yes, I like Shaun Micallef too)
• pacific island of oom
• giant ferragamo installation
• foods mentioned in the book the immortal soul of henrietta lacks
• cathy, a triple amputee
• no, her grandmother said, hearing her teary confession, kissing does not make babies–neither does it make ladies. (Which book is this from?!)

Did you have good reading month in May? What were your favourites?

Achievements in April

April was a better month for reading for me, even though I wasn’t on holidays any longer! There were a few public holidays (Easter, Anzac Day) which helped to bolster my book total for the month – eight books, not bad. I had a good mix of fiction and non-fiction too, with an ebook thrown in for good measure (Kobo, you really, really need to have a sale. My wishlist is getting very long!)

How am I going with my challenges? For some I have a lot of progress to make and we’re already a third of the way through the year!

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

My challenge: Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors)

I’ve already completed this challenge (back in February), but I didn’t read any Aussie authors this much. Very bad. Need to improve, especially as I had a long conversation with one of my patients regarding Bryce Courtenay’s books and how good they are!

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

The Elephant Vanishes and Sputnik Sweetheart  are on my bookshelf now. I’m waiting for the Murakami mood to hit me. I’m feeling like reading very realistic books at the moment.

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

My challenge: Neophyte (read the original)

No progress as yet. Michael Palin’s Halfway to Hollywood is taking me a while to read to/from work.

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

My challenge: Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

I had only two books to go on this challenge.  In April, I read:

• The Siege by Helen Dunmore (ebook)
• The Betrayal by Helen Dunmore

So now complete! I’m still going to track my progress though.

 2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

23 paper books! I’ve passed my target, although I’m quite sure that I’ve bought 20-odd books this year!

My reads were a mixed bag this month, so I don’t feel that I can really single one out for the title of ‘best’ read. I do highly recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for a non-fiction read. I enjoyed all my books, so no disappointing reads for me.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, I had a busy month which I’m tickled pink with! A lot of you wanted to look at my holiday pictures or read about Bill Bryson’s At Home (also a popular search term).

I think a lot of you are excited about the next book in The Carrie Diaries, seeing as it was a popular search term this month. Despite my previous reservations, I’m going to read it. I want to know how Carrie met Miranda and Samantha.

Some of the odd search terms that came up in April were:

• finger turning pages (instructions for?)
• historical fiction book measurements (is there a standard for this?)
• Ken Follett’s religion (you’d need to ask him)
• buku fiksi (Indonesian for fiction books)
• pretty literature (It’s all in the eye of the beholder)
• the book glory- girl with serious issues (Serious issues?)
• Jeremy Clarkson birthday (April 11)
• Does jeremy actually do the covers of the big book of top gear? (Well, there is a lot of explosions…)
• What book is Colleen Mccullough currently writing now as of 19th april 2011 (Again, ask her!)

How was your April? Read any great books?

February in a Nutshell

Well, I didn’t get as many books read this month as I did in January. It’s a shorter month with no public holidays plus I read some books that demanded more attention. My result was four books, all of which I enjoyed. The winner would have to be Fortune Cookie by Bryce Courtenay – simply brilliant with a great twist.

I’m reading another couple of chunksters (Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth and Bill Bryson’s At Home – hardcovers are heavy on the daily commute) so I can’t see myself hitting January’s heights for a while! This was despite having no car for ten days. I did buy a lot of books (both physical and ebooks) due to sales - see my recent purchases for a few examples.

Searchers did not disappoint with their search terms in February, some of the most memorable being:

• ’1960′s advertisement /food  illustrations’ Not found here- try Mad Men!
• ‘jan.02, 2011 1st reading’ What was I reading? Why the second of the month?
• ‘penny vincenzi books in singapore’
• ‘where can i buy penny vincenzi books in singapore’ Try Kinokuniya, Ngee Ann City…they have just about every book and their staff are more expert than me!
• ‘micallef quotes louie the fly’ Even I can’t recall this joke…
• ‘sony centres, and borders and angus & robertson book stores’ Hopefully not another conspiracy theory that the eBook has killed the bookstore! Selling cutlery and fridge magnets certainly doesn’t help!

In February, most of you wanted to know why it takes ten days for a fuel pump to cross the continent (Nissan still can’t answer that one, I can verify having made the trip that it’s 3 hours, 25 minutes in an Airbus 330-200), what’s in Ken Follett’s latest chunkster, Fall of Giants and all about the funniest man in Australia’s book (that’s Shaun Micallef).

In terms of challenges:

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

My challenge: Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors)

This month I read:

Fortune Cookie by Bryce Courtenay

Glory Girl by Peter Yeldham

Smithereens by Shaun Micallef

One extra read…so COMPLETE! Think I will keep working at this one though just to see how far I get.

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

No progress so far.

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

My challenge: Neophyte (read the original)

No progress yet.

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

My challenge: Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

This month, I read:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Fortune Cookie by Bryce Courtenay

Glory Girl by Peter Yeldham

60% complete! Over halfway.

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

Doing well…up to 12 now.

How was your February? Feast or famine?

Challenge Update – January

Just a quick update on how I’ve been going with my challenges for 2011 (and I’m getting cabin fever at home!)

By the end of January, I have made the following progress:

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

My challenge: Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors)

In January, I read:

1. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
2. Naked Cruelty by Colleen McCullough
3. Shall We Dance? by Maggie Alderson (does this count? Not sure, as I believe Maggie used to live in Australia. She is listed as an Australian author in Wikipedia! But…I won’t count it).

So two thirds done!

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

My challenge: Hajime (one book)

No progress so far.

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

My challenge: Neophyte (read the original)

No progress as yet!

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

My challenge: Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

In January, I read:

1. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
2. Naked Cruelty by Colleen McCullough
3. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

30% complete!

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

My challenge: 20 paper books (am excluding ebooks).

I read eight books off my shelves, which was impressive. All are going to family or friends, then the Save the Children booksale.

How are you going with your challenges this month?

Getting stuck into some challenges…

After some thought, I’m going to have a go at a few challenges this year. I hate having what to read dictated to me, but these challenges sound flexible and enjoyable to me!

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

This runs over the course of 2011. I’m going to try Tourist level (3 books by 3 different authors). In fact, I’ve even got one review done – Kate Morton is Australian and I’ve read The Distant Hours. I could probably go more (I have Shaun Micallef, Bryce Courtenay and Peter Yeldham books to read), but this is not the only challenge I want to do!

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

Again, I think I’ll take it easy with this one and try Hajime (one book). It seems that all the city bookstores are out of all of Murakami’s books except Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, so perhaps there are lots of people participating! (Not to mention Australians are yet to see Murakami ebooks).

The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge 2011

 

Wow, 200 years since this book was written! I have a beautiful copy given to me one Christmas that I haven’t read yet. So I will be participating as a Neophyte, aiming to read the original.

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

You’ve probably guessed already that I enjoy historical fiction, so I’m hoping this is an easy challenge for me! I’m going to attempt Struggling the Addiction (10 books).

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

This challenge is aimed at reducing the amount of unread books on your shelf and then passing on the book to someone else. Not a problem for me, as I almost always pass my books on to friends or family. I’m going to attempt 20 physical books this year (not going to count ebooks…yet).

I hope I can do it…let’s revisit in a few months! What challenges are you trying this year?