Book Haul #120, Or The One Where I Nearly Gave In...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

As the title suggests I nearly gave in, after a whole month of buying no books, and splurged madly! I had some birthday money left over and burning a hole in my pocket and naturally the first thing I normally buy is books. It was so hard to resist but I did and instead put it in my Comic Con fund! I did get some review titles this week, both electronic and physical copies all of which I can't wait to read and sated my need for all the shiny, pretty, new books...

Don't forget to enter my birthday giveaway, open until midnight tomorrow so go here to check it out!

Bone By Bone

Crush

The Sleeping Prince

Swan Boy

Arena

Devil & The Bluebird

Jonathan Dark Or The Evidence Of Ghosts

Kingfisher

Best Of Apex Magazine Volume One - Lesley Conner & Jason Sizemore

Whether wandering down endless stairwells, searching for answers in the desert, or reaching out to the stars, for more than six years Apex Magazine has entertained readers with stories that are strange, beautiful, shocking, and surreal. Now, for the first time, editors Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner are collecting the award winning and nominated stories, those chosen by readers as Story of the Year, and their own personal favorites into one anthology.

A Veil that wipes the experiences of war from soldiers’ memories. A witch who faces down both God and the devil to save a soul. A swaying dance that crosses the galaxy to transmit a message. A vampire caught in a web of politics and law by his responsibility to his family. Within this collection, you will find 21 stories that explore what it means to love, to regret, to be human.

With stories by Ursula Vernon, Ken Liu, Rachel Swirsky, Sarah Pinsker, Rich Larson, and more, Best of Apex Magazine: Volume 1 brings readers some of the best stories Apex Magazine has published so far, chosen by editors Lesley Conner and Jason Sizemore.

Where to start? All the stories are good, that's why they're in this compilation but some were quite simply outstanding. Of the 21 stories I loved most of them, never an easy feat in an anthology, and I think there was one that I didn't really warm to.This is one of the best anthologies I've read for a while, it was a pleasure to read and get lost in. It became a nightly treat to sit down, relax and read a couple of the stories before switching off for the night and I'm now working my way through the Apex volumes I had on my Kindle because if there are any half as good this collection? Well, they must be pretty special.

Favorites included both stories by Ursula Vernon, rapidly becoming a favorite author for me! Jackalope Wives was beautifully written and reminded me of Charles de Lint's Coyote stories in a way. Pocosin, her other story included, about a dying possum god and the fight for his soul by God, the Devil and Death was an interesting take on Death but thankfully still involved drinking whisky. 

Candy Girl by Chikodili Emelumadu is almost enough to put you off candy for life! It's easy to see why it was nominated for a Shirley Jackson award as I don't think I'll be able to look at a Mars Bar in the same way ever again. If You Were A Dinosaur, My Love by Rachel Swirsky broke my heart and The Performance Artist by Lettie Prell freaked me out even thinking about the possibilities that her story brought up about transferring consciousness.

Armless Maidens Of The American West by Genevieve Valentine was compelling in that awful way as you thought about the fact the researcher in the story knew of enough 'armless maidens' in one section of the country to be able to consider setting up a research project.

Other stories involved aliens, dolls, SETI, vampires, the afterlife, veterans and strange books that appear to converse with you and are all worth reading but my absolute favorite stories were Still Life (A Sexagesimal Fairy Tale) by Ian Tregillis and L'espirit de l'escalier by Peter M Ball. Still Life was addictive reading about a clockmaker called Tink in a city called Nycthemeron and her developing fascination with Valentine, the consort of Queen Perjumbellatrix. Worth reading for the fantastical names alone Still Life tells the tale of time and love and how time literally flies for some but stands still for others. L'espirit de l'escalier was the heartbreaking tale of a grieving man, visiting the Endless Stairwell with the the ashes of his fiancee as they never got to visit whilst she was alive. This was my favorite overall I think but also scared the living daylights out of me as I've had a recurring dream about a bottomless staircase ever since I was tiny so it was weird to read about one after all this time.

If you're at all a fan of short stories then you definitely need to check this volume out. Lesley and Jason have put together a great collection of stories that kept me hooked all the way through. A special mention must also be made of the cover artist, Adrian Borda, whose “Life is a Dance in The Rain III” makes for an amazing cover and features mechanical items performing human actions. I'm off now to renew my subscription to Apex as I can't wait to read more fantastic short stories!

 

Best Of Apex Magazine - ed. Lesley Conner & Jason Sizemore

ISBN - 9781937009373

Publisher - Apex Book Company 

Release date - January 12 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Many thanks to Lesley Conner and Apex Magazine for providing me with a review copy of Best Of Apex Magazine!

Waiting On Wednesday #147 - The Voodoo Killings

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

The Voodoo Killings - Kristi Charish

ISBN - 9780345815880

Publisher - Vintage Canada

Release date - May 10 2016

Find - Goodreads 

For the first time since we launched Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Random House Canada is thrilled to announce the debut of a new urban fantasy series. Kristi Charish's The Voodoo Killings introduces Kincaid Strange, not your average voodoo practitioner...

For starters, she's only 27. Then there's the fact that she lives in rain-soaked Seattle, which is not exactly Haiti. And she's broke. With raising zombies outlawed throughout the continental USA, Kincaid has to eke out a living running seances for university students with more money than brains who are desperate for guitar lessons with the ghost of a Seattle grunge rocker--who happens to be Kincaid's on-again, off-again roommate.

Then a stray zombie turns up outside her neighbourhood bar: Cameron Wight, an up-and-coming visual artist with no recollection of how he died or who raised him. Not only is it dangerous for Kincaid to be caught with an unauthorized zombie, she soon realizes he's tied to a spate of murders: someone is targeting the zombies and voodoo practitioners in Seattle's infamous Underground City, a paranormal hub. When the police refuse to investigate, the City's oldest and foremost zombie asks Kincaid to help. Raising ghosts and zombies is one thing, but finding a murderer? She's broke, but she's not stupid.

And then she becomes the target...As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, especially in Seattle.

I'm a huge fan of Kristi Charish and love her Adventures Of Owl series so this sounds fantastic. Alas, to start with it looks like it's just a Canadian release but fingers crossed it will get picked elsewhere too.

Top Ten Tuesday #106 - Books I Will Definitely Reread In 2016...

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous girls cover at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic is a freebie choice so I've chosen

Ten Books I Will Definitely Reread In 2016...

Most of these used to be annual rereads for me but have fallen by the wayside in recent years. I'm desperate to lose myself in The Dark Is Rising again, and When Marnie Was There, and I adored Among Others so much that I want to reread it right now...

The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall

Howl's Moving Castle

When Marnie Was There

Among Others

The Dark Is Rising Sequence

I Capture The Castle

Dark Cathedral

The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen

The Bloody Chamber

Northanger Abbey

And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie

First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion...

I expect hundreds if not thousands of people were inspired to read And Then There Were None after the recent BBC adaptation starring Aidan Turner and Charles Dance amongst others. And Then There Were None is undoubtedly Agatha Christie's best selling book ever, indeed it's thought to be the seventh best selling book of all time! I started reading Agatha Christie when I was 11 and staying at my grandmother's house. Wanting something to read but not feeling ready to dive into the books of Catherine Cookson and Danielle Steele I picked up And Then There Were None and fell in love. It was the first grown-up mystery I had ever read. Previous experience up to then was limited mostly to Nancy Drew and the Famous Five so this was completely amazing.

Christie writes mystery as if she was born to do it. All of her books, this one included, are fairly short but pack a lot into them. This is the third or fourth time I've read this one and I still get caught up in the rhyme and the mystery, of who is next and who is the murderer. I had completely forgotten about the extra chapter at the end involving the full confession of the murderer thrown out to sea in a bottle. I remember being completely shocked at who it was on the first time of reading but of course, looking at it through adult eyes, there's only really one candidate.

This has turned out to be a not-review really but it has inspired me to launch into a personal reading project for the year and that's to re-read all the Christies I read in my teen years and then to start on all the stories I never got round to so look out for a lot more of Agatha Christie appearing on the Outsider in the future!

Ten little Indian Boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian Boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian Boys traveling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven^.
Seven little Indian Boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Indian Boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Indian Boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indian Boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Indian Boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indian Boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian Boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie

Publisher - HarperCollins

Release date - November 1939

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Book Haul #119, Or The One Where I Have A Birthday Giveaway...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Before we get down to the business of books, scroll down to the bottom and you'll see there's a giveaway! In honor of my birthday tomorrow and open internationally as long as the Book Depository ships to you (check here!) you may choose a book of your choice up to the value of $20. All you need to do is fill in the rafflecopter! The giveaway will close at midnight on January 31 so you have 8 days to enter.

Back to the books and it's been another good week in terms of books in, only two review books and one book bought... I know, I know! I said I wasn't buying any books but this one is different because it's my bestest book buddy's second novel and she's amazing and everyone needs to check it out :) Also amazing is the cover for Ali Shaw's new book, The Trees. I loved The Girl With Glass Feet so can't wait to get stuck into this one. In other news my replacement Kindle Fire still isn't here and Amazon are now saying end of February/beginning of March. Grrrr...

Bought

White Lies - Zoe Markham

For Review

The Trees - Ali Shaw

Masks And Shadows - Stephanie Burgis

Birthday Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Hawley Book of The Dead - Chrysler Szarlan

In the tradition of The Night Circus and A Discovery of Witches, The Hawley Book of the Dead is the kind of novel that makes you believe that magic really exists.

An old house surrounded by acres of forest.

A place of secrets, mysteries and magic.

This is where Revelation Dyer hopes to keep herself and her children safe.

But a mysterious figure has haunted Reve for over a decade. And now Reve knows that this person is on her trail again.

In Hawley, where the magic of her ancestors reigns, Reve must unlock the secrets of the Hawley Book of the Dead before it’s too late…

I have a confession to make about The Hawley Book Of The Dead. I borrowed it from the library seven months ago. It has taken me 7 months to pick up this book, read it and then kick myself for taking so long to read it. I've renewed it about 4 times and almost sent it back twice thinking that maybe it wasn't for me. I'm so glad I didn't as it turned out to be one of those books that I utterly adored and I'm really annoyed I can't go out and buy a copy to keep.

Revelation and Jeremy are the Amazing Maskelynes, a magic act in Vegas but for them, the magic is real. It's in their family and their children, the twins Grace & Fai and youngest Caleigh. After a deeply shocking tragedy Reve finds past memories coming back to her, of being hunted by someone known only as the Fetch. It's time to withdraw and pull back to where the family can be safest, Reve's childhood home in Hawley Five Corners. This is dangerous in itself as it was the site of a mass disappearance in the 1920's and the only person who reappeared was Reve's own grandmother.

The Hawley Book Of The Dead is an eclectic mix of fantasy, horror, historical, conspiracy and mystery which add up to my favorite sort of read. I was intrigued by the introduction of the Tuatha De Danaan and the idea that Reve is descended from this mysterious Irish race. Much was made of the fact they weren't fairies but more a people who had strange, unexplained powers - much like our heroine herself, along with the red hair of course. I also liked the introduction of the four treasures of the Tuatha, the first of which is found by Reve. I loved Reve as a character although she was far from perfect. At times she would be completely floundering and other times pigheaded and stubborn to the point of stupidity. The children were all great, Grace and Fai (Faith) the twins and their younger sister Caleigh were beautifully portrayed, down to the extraordinarily close bond of identical twins, shown through the text messages between sisters. A host of supporting characters were just as well written as the main, Falcon Eddy and Nan being particular favorites along with cousin Nathan, living with the family and homeschooling the children.

The book wasn't perfect in every way, there were a couple of things that niggled but they were in no way distracting from the overall story. It was the introduction of former childhood sweetheart Jolon as love interest that irked me most. Considering the tragedy at the beginning of the story it annoyed me the way Reve treated Jolon in a situation that takes up much of the last third of the book and the other niggle was the predictable whereabouts of Grace and Fai when they go missing, there was a lot of build-up to this but not much tension thanks to a little bit too much forewarning.

The Hawley Book of the Dead appears to be the first in a quartet called The Revelation Chronicles and apart from an excerpt of the second book, Dreamland, on Chrysler's blog there's no information as to when we can expect the next instalment apart from sometime in the future. If it's as good as Hawley then I can't wait, this was one of the most magical books I've read for a while, one of those that you just have to keep turning the pages until you're finished!

The Hawley Book Of The Dead - Chrysler Szarlan

ISBN - 9780099584780

Publisher - Arrow Books

Release date - March 26 2015

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Waiting On Wednesday #146 - The Starlit Wood; New Fairy Tales

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales - ed. Navah Wolfe & Dominik Parisien 

Publisher - Saga Press

Release date - October 2016

Find - Goodreads

Once upon a time in the desert, in a tower, on a spaceship, in the Other Country...

For centuries, storytellers have crafted timeless tales that have always found a place in our hearts. Here, a new generation of critically acclaimed, award-winning writers have taken up their mantle and shaped traditional and extraordinary fairy tales into something startling and electrifying.

From castles to canyons, a post-human landscape to a pixelated dungeon, from the far future to fantastical realms, The Starlit Wood transforms eighteen stories you thought you knew and takes you on a journey at once unexpected and familiar across time, space, and amazing new worlds.

OMG... This might just turn out to be one of my top ten most anticipated books of 2016 and it's a long wait until October. Just look who the authors are!

Charlie Jane Anders 

Aliette de Bodard  

Jeffrey Ford,  

Max Gladstone 

Theodora Goss 

Daryl Gregory 

Kat Howard,  

Stephen Graham Jones

Margo Lanagan  

Marjorie M. Liu  

Seanan McGuire

Garth Nix

Naomi Novik

Sofia Samatar

Karin Tidbeck

Catherynne M. Valente 

Genevieve Valentine 

Amal El-Mohtar  

Most of these authors are ones that I would read a shopping list if the published them and I think there's only three authors that I haven't read anything by them before.

Top Ten Tuesday #105 - Books I've Recently Added To My TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous girls cover at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic is -

Top Ten Nine Books I've Recently Added To My TBR

I pretty much cover what's added to my TBR in my book haul posts but here are some that I've forgotten to add and update on Goodreads from wishlist status to TBR pile! There's only a couple of repeats from my recent book haul and just today I was approved for Masks And Shadows, Stephanie Burgis's adult debut.

Beautiful Broken Things

Behind Closed Doors

Daddy Dearest

Drake

Into The Dim

Judged

The Maker Of Swans

Masks And Shadows

My Neighbor Totoro

Bookmarked... #12

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading (now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date) and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons...

Bout of Books may be long over now but I kept up the reading last week and managed to finish six books, although The Robber Bridegroom is in a book with just 64 pages... January is always a good month for reading for me, I haven't had time to get disillusioned by the stacks and stacks of books around me so hopefully I'll get ahead on my Goodreads challenge enough that I don't need to worry about it.

This week has started off well too. I currently have bookmarks (real & electronic) in four books all of which enjoying. My enjoyment of short stories continues so I'm loving Best of Apex magazine and Hawley Book of the Dead is one of those books that seems to appear to be a book written just for you because you can't find anything wrong with it! No idea what's up next but it's not as if I'll run out of books to choose from. I'm on a blog tour for the next book in Melinda Salisbury's series, The Sleeping Prince, so thought I better reread The Sin Eater's Daughter now rather than waiting to the last minute.

Finished Last Week

And Then There Were None

Blue Diablo

I Know Who Did It

Return To The Secret Garden

The Robber Bridegroom

Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom Of The Wicked

Currently Reading

Best of Apex Magazine

The Hawley Book Of The Dead

Luna: New Moon

The Sin Eater's Daughter

The Seventh Bride - T Kingfisher

Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords - no matter how sinister they may seem - Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.


Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.”

With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.

There are many variations of the Bluebeard story, the most well known are obviously The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, The Robber Bridegroom by The Brothers Grimm and Bluebeard by Charles Perrault. Ever since reading The Bloody Chamber I've tried to keep up to date with retellings of the Bluebeard story so was pleased to find this version by T Kingfisher (also known as Ursula Vernon).

Rhea is a miller's daughter with a hint of something special about her. After being spotted by Lord Crevan she becomes engaged to him, very much so against her will. With the wedding approaching Crevan demands that she visit him at his estate and so she sets off on a white road towards something that may well be the end of her. Staying true to the original story she discovers that she is to be the latest in a line of wives for Lord Crevan and having no desire to end up like the Clock Wife or the Golem Wife Rhea fulfills tasks set for her that seem impossible.

As retellings go this is one of the better ones I've read. I don't think any will ever measure up to Carter's Bloody Chamber but I really did like Kingfisher's interpretation. Rhea was headstrong and feisty but also scared out of her wits. I loved her hedgehog companion who got her out of a tight spot more than once and the bear that lurked about in the forest was another favorite. The other wives were fascinating, I especially loved Maria and the way that Kingfisher continually muddles your thinking about which wife may actually be on Rhea's side and who may may not want her to succeed at all. Great writing and a nice spin on Bluebeard has ensured The Seventh Wife a spot on my favorites list. Kingfisher has written a Beauty & the Beast retelling, Bryony and Roses, which has gone on the wishlist.

The Seventh Bride - T Kingfisher
Publisher - 47North
Release date - November 24 2015
Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Book Haul #118, Or I Never Realized How Much I Used My Kindle Fire...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

I still don't have my new Kindle Fire... I can see it in my orders on Amazon, it's just sitting there saying 'not yet dispatched' and 'expected delivery by January 12 to January 18'. It's now January 16 so unless a miracle happens, on a Sunday too, it won't be here by the 18th. Not having it is such a pain though as I have discovered I used it for just about everything whenever I was away from home. There's no quick blog posting, no game playing, no watching a movie on the train, nothing. Maybe next weekend I'll have something to show!

I was feeling very pleased with myself last weekend when I was doing my book haul post and thinking well done you for only buying two books up to the end of 2015. And then the last of my medicated haze ordering turned up from Book Depository... Ooops? It was only another two books so I don't think four is too high a number really. I'm doing well on the no book buying front though. I have bought nothing at all in 2016 and I've requested one title on Netgalley this week!

Bought

I already own 3 different copies of The Bloody Chamber but I couldn't resist this Penguin Deluxe version with an introduction by Kelly Link. I definitely need to reread this book soon!

My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite Miyazaki movies and I've wanted to get this for a while.

For Review

Huge thanks to Titan for sending me a copy of Charlie Jane Anders's debut novel. I've been waiting to read this for a long time and I featured it as a WoW pick in April last year!

I actually got this last week but completely forgot that I'd been approved for it. This was another WoW pick in 2015.

January New Release Giveaway!

Welcome to the January 2016 New Release Giveaway Hop, hosted by It Starts At Midnight! The hop runs from today through to midnight on January 31 2016. Up for grabs is any new release this month up to the value of $22 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. 

All you have to do is choose any new release published in January and fill out the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the linky for lots of other chances to win, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #145 - New Pompeii

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

New Pompeii - Daniel Godfrey

ISBN - 9781783298112

Publisher - Titan

Release date - June 21 2016

Find - Goodreads |  Book Depository

Some time in the near future, energy giant NovusPart develops technology with an unexpected side-effect: it can transport objects and people from deep in the past to the present day.

For post-grad historian Nick Houghton, the controversy surrounding the programme matters less than the opportunity the company offers him. NovusPart’s executives reveal their biggest secret: they have saved most of the people from Pompeii, minutes before the volcanic eruption. Somewhere in central Asia, far from prying eyes, the company has built a replica of the city. In it are thousands of real Romans. And Nick has been chosen to study them.

But Nick soon realises that NovusPart are underestimating their captives. The Romans may be ignorant of modern technology – for now – but city boss Manius Barbatus wasn’t appointed by the emperor because he was soft. The stage is set for the ultimate clash of cultures in which time itself is a weapon…

Love the sound of New Pompeii so had to share! Titan are publishing some amazing books this year and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! 

Top Ten Tuesday #104 - 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous girls cover at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic is -

Top Ten Nine 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

Oh dear. Where do I start with this list? There are so many titles that could be on my list and I feel guilty about every single one of them. Although I did start reading several of these I just never got round to finishing them...

Bookmarked... #11

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading (now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date) and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons...

It was Bout of Books 15 last week and all in, a great week of reading! I finished up my final book yesterday evening and was really pleased to meet my target of reading 7 books over 7 days. I didn't meet my social targets though as my anxiety has been through the roof recently and I've had a few panic attacks. Over Christmas and New Year I got some great reading done too, I read all of Em's books that she got for Christmas plus a couple from my sister's shelves. I still don't have my replacement Kindle, hopefully it will turn up in the next week or so.

Bout Of Books Reading

Currently Reading

Bout Of Books 15 Daily Updates

Welcome to my Bout of Books 15 update post! Rather than have lots of small daily posts I shall just update this one every day with my progress (or lack of) and any challenges I may do.

Goals

• Read 7 books over 7 days
• Participate in social stuff - Twitter, commenting etc.

Progress Report

Day 1

Day 1 started off looking after the twins and ended after a long train journey back home. I was very proud of myself though for finishing my first book and replying to some messages on Twitter while trying to stay awake on the train!

Today's Read(s): The Seventh Bride - T Kingfisher
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Number of pages I’ve read today: 183
Total number of books read: 183
Total number of pages read: 183

Day 2

Back to the everyday routine today after Christmas/New Year break and straight back into a mound of paperwork and assorted other mundane jobs. I didn't think I'd have much time to read never mind anything else but I managed to fit in some contemporary fluff. That was it though, I don't think I even managed to look at Twitter never mind tweet!

Today's Read(s): The Christmas Surprise
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Number of pages I’ve read today: 382
Total number of books read: 2
Total number of pages read: 565

Day 3

A hospital day today so wandering attention! I picked up and started 3 books, read more of some than others and contemplated starting another... No socializing as no signal at all in the hospital and no challenge :(

Today's Read(s): The Chill of Night - James Hayman, Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer - Derek Landy, Deadly Curiosities - Gail Z Martin
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Number of pages I’ve read today: 505
Total number of books read: 2
Total number of pages read: 1070

Day 4

Not much of anything done today but I did manage to finish one book, Death Bringer, from the Skulduggery Pleasant series which I'm loving more with every book. By the time I got home I was too tired to do anything except read a few more pages and then watch old episodes of Criminal Minds...

Today's Read(s): Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer - Derek Landy, The Chill Of Night - James Hayman, Deadly Curiosities - Gail Z Martin
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Number of pages I’ve read today: 450
Total number of books read: 3
Total number of pages read: 1520

Day 5

Bad day today, biggest panic attack I've had in a long time so was pretty much out of it from about 4pm onward with no reading done. I did however manage to finish The Chill Of Night in the morning in between sporadic bouts of work - no pun intended!

Today's Read(s): The Chill Of Night - James Hayman, Deadly Curiosities - Gail Z Martin
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Number of pages I’ve read today: 366
Total number of books read: 4
Total number of pages read: 1886

Day 6

It's got much colder here over the last couple of days so I spent most of the day curled up with a blanket, book and a large cup of tea! The only time I wasn't reading was when my niece & nephew came over to deliver our invitation to his wedding in April. I've now read 6 books so hopefully I'll meet one of my two goals for the week and that was to read 7 books in 7 days. As usual I've been a complete fail on the socialization front but between work, panic attacks and sheer exhaustion I just haven't been able to do it.

Today's Read(s): Deadly Curiosities - Gail Z Martin, Thirteen Chairs - Dave Shelton
Number of books I’ve read today: 2
Number of pages I’ve read today: 481
Total number of books read: 6
Total number of pages read: 2367

Day 7

Last day and I made my reading target!!!

Today's Read(s): Neversuch House: Mask Of The Evergones - Elliot Skell
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Number of pages I’ve read today: 384
Total number of books read: 7
Total number of pages read: 2751

Book Haul #117, Or How To Survive The Holidays...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Welcome to 2016!!! I'm so glad that the holidays are done & dusted, I don't think I stopped to do much of anything until this week and the insane amount of work I need to catch up on is not funny at all. Not having my Kindle Fire tablet is really impinging on my reading and requesting. I can't download anything from Edelweiss and a couple of titles I was approved for on Netgalley have already been archived because of fail... My new one is meant to arrive any time between January 12 and 18 so I'm counting down the days! Strangely enough I haven't compensated for this by rushing out and buying lots of physical copies of books instead.

Bought

Review Books

Reading Challenges For 2016

There will be lots of reading and lots of organization in 2016... Well, I can hope can't I? I'm hoping by not overloading my plate I won't get so bogged down in the detail so I'm doing three challenges, including the annual Goodreads challenge. The other two are Mel's retelling challenge (failed miserably last year but will do better this year) and Evie's 2016 TBR Pile Challenge (also failed miserably but if at first you don't succeed try again).

Target - 275

 I've set my target at 275, lower than the ridiculous target I set last year but slightly higher than what I actually achieved.

Target - 26+

 I'm going for Cheshire Cat level again because I've got even more retellings to read now than I did last year! Sign up here if you want to join Mel's challenge.

Target - 50+

Last but not least, Evie's TBR Pile challenge! This is the year I do read my own books along with what seems like hundreds of other bloggers who all want to do the same! If you want to join this particular TBR challenge sign up here!