Time for some crazy reading.

The Books

Non-Fiction

David Starkey: Henry – Virtuous Prince – Starkey looks at everyone besides Henry VIII in order to give you a picture of who Henry was. Works as badly as it sounds, especially when the goal was to talk of Henry, and is saved only because for what it is it is interesting.

Fiction

David Eddings: Guardians Of The West – Another adventure with the same crew as in The Belgariad. Good, but could have been better.

Elizabeth Chadwick: The Wild Hunt – A couple forced together by the king try to make a go of it whilst trying to keep their lands. Fantastic.

Elizabeth Chadwick: The Running Vixen – A man marries the love of his life after having seen her first marry another, and trouble is afoot as the third candidate will not let go. Related to The Wild Hunt but not as good.

Madeleine Thien: Certainty – A book that doesn’t know what it wants to say and illustrates why people should stay with those they love instead of making other people’s lives a misery. Not worth reading unless you’re happy with flowery language being the only reason for a book’s existence.

Taylor Stevens: The Informationist – A woman of great prestige in getting what governments want takes on detective work for a businessman whose daughter is missing. Very good.

My favourite this month was undoubtedly The Wild Hunt, which is in the running for a space on my best of the best list. Certainty took me about four months to read for reasons that I’ll discuss in my review, it’s one of those books I wish I’d never spent time on.

Quotation Report

None this time.

So I achieved my short-term goal of reading more in December, even if I’m several books behind last year’s count. Here’s to 2012!

I read one book this month, one, and it wasn’t even very long. True, I started several and have reached the end of a couple of them, but I’ve still a few pages left to read. I can at least say that this has been a very busy month with essays, colds, birthdays, holidays, and other reasons to be away from the printed word.

This book is fiction.

The Book

Claire Robyns: Second-Guessing Fate – When Gemma has her fortune told she doesn’t believe a word of it, yet soon it really does seem to be coming true. Not bad – some parts are very good, others not so.

Quotation Report

None this time.

So yes, this is embarrassing. Am I planning to catch up during December despite Christmas and a long essay? You betcha.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a university student beginning their next year of study in October should be in want of reading time. I have read little since starting back, and while that makes me sad it was inevitable and I know that studying hard is the most important thing right now. That said, the combined efforts of all my textbook reading would push this list to at least five books, so I can’t be too disheartened.

All books are works of fiction.

The Books

Barbara Longley: Heart Of The Druid Laird – An immortal man born in the fifth century seeks out the reincarnated soul of his wife to lift the curse that made him eternal. Gets a bit soppy towards the end but for the most part is a very good read.

Jane Austen: Emma – A woman who is a little obsessed with match-making causes a few problems before meeting her own match. Utterly fantastic, a rival to Pride And Prejudice in my Austen affections.

Lian Hearn: Grass For His Pillow – Takeo joins the Tribe while Kaede tries to build authority, both with the goal of security authori of their domains. Pretty damn good second book in the historical fantasy series.

My favourite was Emma – although slow at times, which Grass For His Pillow was not – the sheer amount of comedy caused my then breakfast reading routine to be a riot.

Quotation Report

In Emma, Mr Knightley amply addresses the fact that one can be no less than extremely positive of another’s dancing while that person is in the room. And while anyone else might take a few moments to agree to dancing down the passage between rooms when a building has little space, when Mr Woodhouse is around it will take a while as he will go on about draughts that no one else can sense.

I hope that sometime soon I may have ample time to get back into the book blogging community as I miss being a part of it. I’m aiming for mid-November at the latest but will likely try to start up again this week. Until then I hope you are all doing well.

With the knowledge that the year is coming to an end quite quickly, I’ve been reading a lot.

The Books

Non-Fiction

Richard Rex: The Tudors – Rex gives a broad history of the dynasty peppered with humour and rumour. Recommended.

Fiction

Elizabeth Gaskell: North And South – The Hales move north and discover the differences there that the industrial revolution has brought. Few likable characters and little plot.

J K Rowling: Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone – Harry finds out he’s a wizard and goes to a wizarding secondary school, but with his enemy still out to get him it’s not going to be as easy as he’d thought. Awesome book.

Lee Carroll: Black Swan Rising – Garet becomes knowledgable of the paranormal and the efforts of evil to destroy the world. Some of it is rather good, but there are better books out there.

Priya Basil: The Obscure Logic Of The Heart – Two opposites try to forge a relationship while the UN has trouble in Sudan. Too many plots in one book and bad ideas.

So although I’ve read more books this month, I can’t say I’ve enjoyed myself much. The Tudors was great but there was something lacking, and I discovered that, although I still love it, Harry Potter is definitely better when you’re younger. That said I will be continuing the series because I’ve never finished it before.

Quotation Report

Margaret Hale, from North And South might advise you to be careful when talking about vulgarity because if there is any chance that the man whose proposal you recently turned down should walk in you may end up talking of knobsticks in order to quell the look on his face that suggests he thought you were meaning he himself is vulgar. And while Iman, from The Obscure Logic Of The Heart, may find parenting instinctive, evidence would suggest that her husband needs to watch nature programmes in order to gain an idea of how to do things.

And now let me freak out while I realise October is here and studying is going to get intense…

What a month. I’ve gone from sitting in a lecture theatre scribbling notes as fast as I can and working on an essay until late, to having to remember what my previous routine entailed, to getting round to reading a good few books. I never realised just how dazed working hard at study and then suddenly stopping can make a person. I spent a good week or so trying to remember why I liked reading before picking up a book. But I managed to get through five and am half way through North And South. I have even restarted my venture to Hogwarts and am currently wandering around Diagon Alley via Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone. As much as I love summer, I’m rather glad September is here.

The Books

Non-Fiction

Antonia Fraser: Marie Antoinette – The Journey – Fraser delivers an objective if wistful account of the life of the woman damned in France from the start. Very good, but influenced by Fraser’s romantic dreaming.

Lynne McTaggart: The Bond – The idea that everyone and everything is connected and thus we need to live as one force and as a community is backed up by lots of research. A very good book and full of information.

Fiction

Alois Hotschnig: Maybe This Time – A collection of short stories focused on identity. Mundane on the surface but scratch that surface and unveil a very clever book.

Louise Douglas: The Secrets Between Us – Sarah goes to live with the mysterious Alexander after her previous relationship has shattered and Alexander’s wife goes missing. But the past won’t stay away. Brilliant, fantastic, must-read book.

Shannon Stacey: Exclusively Yours – Keri needs to interview author and ex-boyfriend Joe if she’s to keep her journalist job, but Joe’s not going to make it easy for her to leave a second time. Almost as good as Yours To Keep and certainly one not to be missed.

My favourite this month was without a doubt The Secrets Between Us. It is a spectacular novel than spans several genres and I flew through it. I can’t really say any book this month was bad, sometimes there was a strange focus, this in the case of the non-fictions, but there will be no negative reviews to come out of these five.

Quotation Report

In Exclusively Yours, Keri muses over the idea that if her old cheerleading squad hadn’t used curling irons and aerosols, global warming might not have happened.

I’m glad with what I’ve achieved this summer and the experiences I have had. And with only four months to go before 2012 I’m hoping to cram as much reading in as possible.