Deckchairs

Deckchairs

Quote

The true university these days is a collection of books.
-Thomas Carlyle

Sunday 31 May 2009

May Roundup


I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it is gorgeous here in Liverpool today. England is famous for its precarious weather and the last few years have illustrated this more than usual, but today is hot and sunny and most people are off work. Everyone's windows are wide open, lawn mowers are going, deckchairs pulled from the back of the shed, bugs are buzzin' and our cats are flaked out under the bush in the garden.
Here is a recap of my May reading activities...
Read - 2 and a half books
Completed -
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Currently Reading - The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
TBR pile - quite a few added, now at 60:-
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Butterball by Guy de Maupassant
The House of Spirits by Isabelle Allende
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Challenges - The book I am currently reading (The Woman in Black) is for #11 of the 2009 Mini Challenges, to read a book that is outside of your normal comfort zone. I don't do ghost stories, they frighten the pants off me!!
I've also looked out some essays for #4 too.
Meeting my challenge to read 3 pages a day of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke has taken a downward turn. Basically I haven't read any of it in May. I haven't written it off completely in the hope that I'll come back to it, but it wasn't really holding my attention. I have nearly given up on it a few times before but have made myself read it because it looks like a book I should enjoy. However, I have always felt that if a book becomes a chore and not a pleasure, you should move on to something else. Sadly that has happened here, for now anyway.
Wishlist Additions -
Timeless Simplicity by John Lane
Falling for a Dancer by Deirdre Purcell
The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
The Hidden by Tobias Hill
Discoveries -
That the Bluecoat Chambers in Liverpool is doing a monthly book fair, where I snapped up 2 of my books this month.
Events -
The Octogons first blogiversary.
Being nominated for the Lemonade Award by Jeane from Dog Ear Diary.
I hope it is bright, warm and sunny where you are...I'm off to sit in the garden.

2 comments:

B said...

Hi,
I'm writting you from Madrid.Here It's sunny and hot.Thank you for your blog , I like it.Sometimes I read books in English in order to refresh my poor english, and your recommendations are very useful to choose my reading.

Gentle Reader said...

I will post about my Lemonade award soon (just trying to think of who to pass it along too--always hard to narrow it down!). I love your TBR list. I have The White Tiger sitting next to the bed, just waiting for me. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it when you get to it!

Hay on Wye

Hay on Wye