Monthly Reflection: April

Hello my fellow bookworms, I hope you are happy and well? April saw the start of Spring here in the UK! I signed up for a teaching agency at the beginning of the month and have been getting a lot more work over the last few weeks. With the odd splattering of sunshine and great career prospects all in all April has been a great month for me. To top the month off I have also spent a great deal of time reading in the sun or tucked up inside during the sporadic April showers. Now let’s have a look at what I read under that blanket during the month.

Fiction: 4               Non-Fiction: 3               Poetry: 0

I started April by finishing off the gigantic A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin the first instalment of the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Despite the epic length I found A Game of Thrones detailed, thrilling, and utterly un-put-down-able! After that I decided to have a break from fantasy and picked up The Lives She Left Behind by James Long the long-awaited sequel to Ferney which I read in March. Another beautifully written novel from Long highly recommended to those who loved Ferney. My break from fantasy wasn’t long because I couldn’t resist a re-read of the charming The Horse and His Boy by C S Lewis the third instalment of The Chronicles of Narnia. I finished the month off with The Glass Guardian by Linda Gillard. Another wonderful piece of women’s literature with a supernatural twist from Gillard who rapidly becoming one of my favourite modern authors.

Alongside those works of fiction in April I also made excellent progress towards my goal of reading more historical non-fiction. I finished off the memoir Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself a moving and fascinating look through the eyes of a young orphaned slave in America. I also managed to polish off two more editions from the A Very Brief History series by Mark Black, one on Thomas Cromwell and the other one Queen Elizabeth I. Two more short and interesting reads.

Pick of the Month: A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

And those are just the books I finished. During April I have continued to dip in and out of The Complete Brothers Grimm’s Fairytales which I started in January. Made decent progress but still a lot of stories to go! At the end of the month I also started reading The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and The Lion’s World by Rowan Williams.

How was your April? What did you read?

Monthly Reflection: March

Hello my fellow bookworms, I hope you are happy and well? March has been an odd old month just as we looked forward to Spring what we in fact got was more snow! I’ve tried to not let this get me down though as there have been the highlights of Easter and my friend’s hen party to brighten the month. Cold weather is also a great excuse to curl up under a blanket with a cup of tea and a good book. Now let’s have a look at what I read under that blanket during the month.

Fiction: 4               Non-Fiction: 2               Poetry: 0

I started March by finishing off the classic Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, my third foray into Dickens’s dark Victorian world which I thoroughly enjoyed. Still being in a historical mood I then moved onto Ferney by James Long. A beautifully written novel with a ‘time-slippage’ twist! I continued my Christian reading with The Gospel in Ten Words by Paul Ellis and my historical reading with A Very Brief History: Anne Boleyn by Mark Black. I thought both were excellent reads. After my historical mood waned little I found myself reaching The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C S Lewis. A wonderful re-read which was just what I needed for the cold and dreary evenings we have been having. Then to finish off the month I managed to join my theatre group for a reading of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. I read the part of the young, naïve, and flighty Cecily. I thought it was all very funny!

Pick of the Month: Ferney by James Long

And those are just the books I finished. During March I have continued to dip in and out of The Complete Brothers Grimm’s Fairytales which I started in January. I am making quite slow progress but have enjoyed what I’ve read so far. Similarly I have also been dipping in and out of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself. In mid-March I actually started reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R Martin the first instalment in the cult classic series A Song of Ice and Fire. I am yet to finish it though I’m afraid as it is at least equal in length to two or three books I would usually read! I am really enjoying it though and am very close to the end now.

How was your March? What did you read?

Monthly Reflection: February

Hello my fellow bookworms, I hope you are happy and well? February has been a cold and wet month on the whole but sporadically we have had some glorious days of sunshine (photo taken on a trip to Attingham Park). Never realised just how much I’d been missing the sun! In other good news I have also started a new work placement at a specialist school working with disabled children, which I am really enjoying so far. So all in all February has been another good month and I am looking forward to March. Now let’s have a look at what I read during the month.

Fiction: 4               Non-Fiction: 2               Poetry: 0

I started February by finishing off a re-read of Believing in Faeries (A Manual for Grown Ups) by Marcia Zina Mager. I thought this was a refreshing read on faith and nature; after finishing it I am even more keen for Spring to arrive so I can watch my garden come back to life. With the return of the rain and even some more snow I was eager to escape into the exotic world of Sacrifice by Tara Maya the third instalment in the dark fantasy series The Unfinished Song. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I flew through and only wetted my appetite for the exotic even more. With that in mind I next move onto Indian Maidens Bust Loose by Vidya Samson which I thought was a really fun read, a lovely pick me up for during the dreary weather. February saw me start my own mini-challenge to re-read the beloved children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia. I decided to start with the first book chronologically The Magician’s Nephew by C S Lewis. I tucked myself in bed early one night with this and a box of chocolates, and finished both the same night. I also managed to take part in my first play reading and shared lunch that the theatre group I work for arrange from time to time. We had a lovely time sharing and reading the hilarious Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward in which I read the part of Ruth. To finish the month off I fancied a shot of real-life so I read World War II London Blitz Diary by Ruby Side Thompson an interesting look into the life of a mother and wife during ‘the Blitz’.

Pick of the Month: Sacrifice by Tara Maya (The Unfinished Song #3)

And those are just the books I finished. During February I have continued to dip in and out of The Complete Brothers Grimm’s Fairytales which I started in January. I am making quite slow progress but have enjoyed what I’ve read so far. Then at the end of the month I started reading the classic Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Gospel in Ten Words by Paul Ellis.

How was your February? What did you read?

Monthly Reflection: January

Hello my fellow bookworms, I hope you are happy and well? January has been a very cold and snow filled month. I have spent a great deal of the month tucked up with a hot water bottle, books, and mugs of tea. Don’t be fooled though I have also been a productive lady with clearing out the house a sort of early spring clean plus there have also been some interesting job prospects I have been working on. To top it off I also celebrated my 25th birthday! So all in all January was a good month and a great start to a new year for me.

Fiction: 5               Non-Fiction: 2               Poetry: 0

I started the month by finishing off The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges. Two books I started at the end of 2012 which I have thoroughly enjoyed dipping in and out of over the Christmas and New Year holiday when I had a moment’s peace between all the excitement. I also started The Dragondain by Richard Due the second instalment in his series The Moon Realm right at the end of 2012. I thought this was a delightful children’s fantasy tale that helped me while away a long train journey home which I then finished off one cold night tucked up in bed. By mid-January the weather turned for the worst bringing bitter cold winds and snow! All of which put me in the mood for the Russian historical novel The Mirrored World by Debra Dean, an author I’d been keen to read more of. Dean didn’t disappoint and this novel seemed the perfect match for the weather too. During the snow I also spent a peaceful Sunday afternoon in front of my grandfather’s fire reading Taboo by Tara Maya the second instalment of her dark fantasy series The Unfinished Song. I finished off the month with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Official Movie Guide) by Brian Sibley my one and only book I received for my birthday, but what a book to receive I thought it was fascinating. Then with barely a day to spare I finished the charming children’s classic The Children of The New Forest by Frederick Marryat my thoughts on which are still to come.

Pick of the Month: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

And those are just the books I finished. Through out January I have also been slowly but surely working my way through The Complete Brothers Grimm’s Fairytales which I started after finishing The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. I started a re-read of Believing in Faeries by Marcia Zena Mager mid-way through the month but I’m afraid it became sidelined when I received The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Official Movie Guide) for my birthday. On the last day of the month I started Sacrifice by Tara Maya the third instalment in her dark fantasy series The Unfinished Song we’ll see how long this lasts into February.

How was your January? What did you read?

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

I have never been very good at writing my own end of year posts, so instead I have come to rely on these fun meme questions to get me going:

Best Book of 2012: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Worst Book of 2012: What I’ve Learned Since I Knew It All by Paul Meier and Todd Clements

Most Disappointing Book of 2012: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Most Surprising (In A Good Way!) Book of 2012: On Writing by Stephen King

Most Recommended-to-Others Book of 2012: The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien

Best Series You Discovered in 2012: Old Kingdom by Garth Nix

Favourite New Authors Discovered in 2012: Mary Albanese, Louisa May Alcott, Elizabeth Bailey, Richard Due and Susanna Kearsley

Most Hilarious Read of 2012: The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett

Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book of 2012: The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Most Anticipated Book of 2012: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Favourite Cover of a Book You Read in 2012: Initiate by Tara Maya

Most Memorable Character in 2012: Long John Silver from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Most Beautifully Written Book of 2012: Untying the Knot by Linda Gillard

Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2012: Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters

Book You Can’t Believe You Waited Until 2012 to Read: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Sadly there are plenty more wonderful authors and books that I read in 2012 which didn’t manage to make it into this meme, but I do think I’ve covered those that really stuck out from the year. Now for a few interesting statistics:

Books Read: 49            New Reads: 47               Re-Reads: 2

Fiction: 41                      Non-Fiction: 5               Poetry: 3

Multiple Reads of an Author: Brian Rowe (3), M C Beaton (2), Suzanne Collins (2), Linda Gillard (2), Garth Nix (2), Terry Pratchett (2)

Ambitions for 2013: I am really pleased with my progress with incorporating more non-fiction and poetry into my reading, and hope this will continue in the new year. My new ambition is to make more time for re-reads. As much as I love all the new authors and books I have been discovering because of my blog, I don’t want to lose touch with well-loved authors and books. So my aim is to every month or so find a little time to revisit an old favourite.

I hope you have all had a good 2012 and I want to take the time now to wish you a Happy New Year, here’s hoping it will be even better than last year

What did you read in 2012? Any recommendations? What are your aims for 2013?