Early happy New Year everyone! How has 2015 been for you? Bit too exciting if you ask me - marauding vikings on and off the page, Poldark showing off his pecs in the Cornish countryside (don't remember THAT in the books!), Bond getting up to his old tricks and tonnes of fab new fiction and non-fiction to get me all distracted.
I did manage to read the minimum target 24 books (yay!), but 11 of those were either freshly published or new acquisitions (boo!). Such a shame when I got the balance right in 2014, reading an extra 10 or so books, but still finishing 24 from the list. Definitely want to try and do better in the coming months.
Hopefully you've found something interesting among what I've read in 2015. I'm quite pleased that there's a good variety in what I've covered, but classics are still rare. After my fascinating trip to Haworth, the Bronte Parsonage Museum and the surrounding moors ('In Search of Wuthering Heights'), I'm hoping to get in some novels by the famous sisters in 2016. And visit some more literary locations!
James Bond and historical fiction are still making regular appearances and I'm close to finishing both Ian Fleming's books and Philippa Gregory's Cousins War series. Hopefully I can do this next year too and move on to another great series.
A few favourite genres and writers have disappeared completely recently, though, including Science Fiction and Daphne Du Maurier. Perhaps in getting distracted by some great new publications I've missed the brilliant books already on my shelves. Something to be careful of in 2016!
Almost unbelievably, next year will mark the fifth anniversary of this blog and my project. A big thank you to all the friends, readers, writers and publishers who have given such great feedback and support here and on Twitter (@500_Books) over the years. A special mention has to go to the lovely and glittery Lucy Porter, who thoroughly embarrassed me by looking at my Twitter feed while I was stood in front of her at a literary festival event. Nearly as embarrassing as when I met Nigella Lawson at a book signing and couldn't think of anything to say... but that's another story.
Anyway, big love, bookworms! Wishing you all a fabulous new year and I look forward to seeing you again in 2016!
Reviews of the Year
2012
2013
2014
2015: A Year in Books
January
'The Empty Throne' by Bernard Cornwell
February
'So, Anyway...' by John Cleese
'From Russia with Love' by Ian Fleming (Audiobook)
'The Victorian Chaise-Longue' by Marghanita Laski
March
'Goldfinger' by Ian Fleming
'Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism' by Natasha Walter
April
'When I Met You' by Jemma Forte
'So, You've Been Publicly Shamed' by Jon Ronson
May
'Marie Antoinette: The Journey' by Antonia Fraser
June
'In Town' by Mark Steel
'Be Brilliant Every Day' by Andy Cope and Andy Whitaker
July
'It's All in Your Head' by Suzanne O'Sullivan
'My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me' by Jennifer Teege
'Diamonds are Forever' by Ian Fleming (Audiobook)
'The Spy who Loved Me' by Ian Fleming (Audiobook)
August
'A Book for Her' by Bridget Christie
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory
September
'The Library of Unrequited Love' by Sophie Divry
October
'Just a Phrase I'm Going Through' by David Crystal
'Jeremy and Amy' by Jeremy Keeling
November
'Warriors of the Storm' by Bernard Cornwell
'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King
December
'Animal QC: My Preposterous Life' by Gary Bell
'Little Tales of Misogyny' by Patricia Highsmith - Coming Soon!
Showing posts with label 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014. Show all posts
31 December 2015
01 January 2014
Review of the Year 2013!
An old year ends and a new one begins and it's time for another check up!
Over the past 12 months, I've read 22 books. Pretty good you might think, just two off my target for each year. Just one slight problem. Five of those books weren't actually on my list in the first place. 'MaddAddam' by Margaret Atwood and 'Consumed' by Harry Wallop, for example, were newly published in 2013, but they caught my eye and before I knew it I was several pages in. So I think I really need to stop reading book reviews if I'm ever going to read everything I already have!
On the plus side, I've read lots of different genres again this year (which I hope makes my blog varied and entertaining!). We've had horror ('Fluke' by James Herbert), history ('My Heart is My Own' by John Guy), science fiction ('The Man Who Fell to Earth' by Walter Tevis) and biographical works by Sir Roger Moore and Arabella Weir. I even read a classic in the form of 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker, although it did take six weeks and I kind of hoped I would read more than just one in 2013.
Later in the year, I decided to try out finishing some sets of books, something I considered in the 2012 review of the year. This seems to have worked - I've finished Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake trilogy and would've finished Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories if he hadn't had the cheek to publish a new one! I'm already on the case with that, though, and hope to finish it early in 2014.
I also made an attempt on Philippa Gregory's Cousins War series. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the second and third books as much as the first, which has put me off reading the fourth, 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'. Ms Gregory also published a new addition to this series in 2013, 'The White Princess'. I think I may give this series another go at a later date, but not just yet.
Overall, this strategy has gone well, so I think I will carry it over into 2014 as it gives me a sense of achievement without tying me down too much. I can still mix and match if the mood takes me or I think you might be getting a bit bored!
Unfortunately, I didn't read anything anniversary related in 2013. As how long it takes me to read books can be very unpredictable, however, I'd have probably disappointed myself and everyone else by failing to finish the right book at the right time anyway, so that idea's probably safer left on the back burner.
So 2013 was on the whole quite positive. I nearly made my target (even though it was in fits and starts and there was a sudden late surge) and I finished a few series and kept the variety going in my reading. But next year I must refocus and keep that list of new releases firmly out of reach! I also hope to find the time to blog more often, perhaps including more posts related to things I've read to keep you entertained. One thing I know for sure, though, is that I mustn't get carried away and forget what this is actually all about!
I hope you've enjoy hearing about the books I've read and want to say thank you for your part in this project. Don't forget that I can be found on Twitter (@Girl_LovesBooks) and love to hear what you think of the project and books I've read. Happy new year and I hope you have a healthy, successful and enjoyable 2014.
Related Posts
Review of the Year 2012
2013: The Year in Books
Over the past 12 months, I've read 22 books. Pretty good you might think, just two off my target for each year. Just one slight problem. Five of those books weren't actually on my list in the first place. 'MaddAddam' by Margaret Atwood and 'Consumed' by Harry Wallop, for example, were newly published in 2013, but they caught my eye and before I knew it I was several pages in. So I think I really need to stop reading book reviews if I'm ever going to read everything I already have!
On the plus side, I've read lots of different genres again this year (which I hope makes my blog varied and entertaining!). We've had horror ('Fluke' by James Herbert), history ('My Heart is My Own' by John Guy), science fiction ('The Man Who Fell to Earth' by Walter Tevis) and biographical works by Sir Roger Moore and Arabella Weir. I even read a classic in the form of 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker, although it did take six weeks and I kind of hoped I would read more than just one in 2013.
Later in the year, I decided to try out finishing some sets of books, something I considered in the 2012 review of the year. This seems to have worked - I've finished Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake trilogy and would've finished Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories if he hadn't had the cheek to publish a new one! I'm already on the case with that, though, and hope to finish it early in 2014.
I also made an attempt on Philippa Gregory's Cousins War series. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the second and third books as much as the first, which has put me off reading the fourth, 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'. Ms Gregory also published a new addition to this series in 2013, 'The White Princess'. I think I may give this series another go at a later date, but not just yet.
Overall, this strategy has gone well, so I think I will carry it over into 2014 as it gives me a sense of achievement without tying me down too much. I can still mix and match if the mood takes me or I think you might be getting a bit bored!
Unfortunately, I didn't read anything anniversary related in 2013. As how long it takes me to read books can be very unpredictable, however, I'd have probably disappointed myself and everyone else by failing to finish the right book at the right time anyway, so that idea's probably safer left on the back burner.
So 2013 was on the whole quite positive. I nearly made my target (even though it was in fits and starts and there was a sudden late surge) and I finished a few series and kept the variety going in my reading. But next year I must refocus and keep that list of new releases firmly out of reach! I also hope to find the time to blog more often, perhaps including more posts related to things I've read to keep you entertained. One thing I know for sure, though, is that I mustn't get carried away and forget what this is actually all about!
I hope you've enjoy hearing about the books I've read and want to say thank you for your part in this project. Don't forget that I can be found on Twitter (@Girl_LovesBooks) and love to hear what you think of the project and books I've read. Happy new year and I hope you have a healthy, successful and enjoyable 2014.
Related Posts
Review of the Year 2012
2013: The Year in Books
February 2013
'My Heart is My Own' by John Guy
'Fluke' by James Herbert
March
'My Word is My Bond' by Roger Moore
'The Man Who Fell to Earth' by Walter Tevis
'The Real Me is Thin' by Arabella Weir
April
'The Other Queen' by Philippa Gregory
'Remember Me?' by Sophie Kinsella
May
'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro
'Consumed' by Harry Wallop
June
'The Unknown Ajax' by Georgette Heyer
July
'The Lady of the Rivers' by Philippa Gregory
'The White Queen' by Philippa Gregory
August
'Will Storr vs The Supernatural' by Will Storr
'The Red Queen' by Philippa Gregory
September
'The Year of the Flood' by Margaret Atwood
'Maddaddam' by Margaret Atwood
October
'The Burning Land' by Bernard Cornwell
'Death of Kings' by Bernard Cornwell
December
'Dracula' by Bram Stoker
'You Made me Late Again!" by Pam Ayres
'The House We Grew up In' by Lisa Jewell
'Him and Me' by Michael and Jack Whitehall
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