I tried to read 11 books in the 11^th month...I even got sneaky and deliberately chose small books! But I failed to reach the target...no book reading bonus for me this month J

What with trips to Newcastle to look after mum and dad, and a road trip for work, the start of the silly season and the madness that is the end of the year in a consulting firm where clients leave everything until the last minute bless them, reading has been a bit light on. I still managed nine though:

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg - fiction

The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway - fiction

The Wah Wah Diaries by Richard E. Grant - memoir

Circle of Three by Patricia Gaffney - fiction

A Year in the Valley by Jackie French - memoir

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - fiction (this year's Man Booker Prize winner)

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 18 - fluff

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - memoir

A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates - memoir

Books read so far this year: 72

I've just noticed that I read an equal number of fiction and memoir last month. My choices are rarely deliberate and I'll often pick something up, start it and then realise it's not the right time to read it. Do you think there's a right time to read a certain book? 

My favourite this month was the first one I read ~ Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow. It was such an unusual thriller, with complex relationships that provided real depth; a not particularly likeable heroine, but a fascinating one, and set partly in Greenland and partly in Denmark it took me to places I've never been. The information about snow was also (surprisingly) interesting. I wouldn't say it was an easy read and probably not for everyone...I can imagine people throwing it in the corner in frustration... but I thought it was really worth the time spent with it.

I've only read one book so far this month, so December will also be a bit light on I suspect! I hope you're finding time for some books in between shopping and wrapping :)

It was another mighty reading month here in the townhouse...ten books, making my year to date total 63! Pretty impressive even if I do say so myself :-)
Here are the October covers...

And in order of reading:

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (fiction)

A Cup of Light by Nicole Mones (fiction)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (fiction)

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott (fiction)

The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant (non-fiction/memoir)

Odd One Out by Monica McInerney (fiction)

Waiting Room by Gabrielle Carey (memoir)

The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin (fiction)

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble (fiction)

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (fiction)

As you can see, it was heavy on the fiction this month, but my goodness there were some powerful reads...I think that books find you, in fact I'm convinced of it, and this month two of the books dealt with dementia (Still Alice and Waiting Room), and one with ageing (Water for Elephants). I'm sure these books found their way to me to help me understand and deal with my dad's dementia diagnosis. Still Alice was especially moving, and also very instructive. The author is a neuroscientist, or was...she's now a writer...which I think is why the book is so believable, and such a sympathetic portrayal of early onset Alzheimers. She has a blog here. This book was my favourite this month, closely followed by A Cup of Light (the author's previous book The Last Chinese Chef was also wonderful) and The Blackwater Lightship. Odd One Out was a bit of fluff and I really couldn't say to you rush out and read it (to be honest I can't even remember what it was about although it was pleasant enough at the time), but all the others...yes. They weren't all easy reads but they were worthwhile. Most definitely.

I hope your reading is going well. 10 books in the 10th month...I'll be trying for 11 in November :-)

Hanging my head in shame...I didn't read anywhere near as much as I would have liked!

...despite the fact that I spent many hours trapped in a tin can over the pacific ocean and north america!
Here's what I managed:

The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean - fiction

As Good as it Got by Isabel Sharpe - fiction

Hector and the Secrets of Love by Francois Lelord - fiction

...oh yes, a deep and meaningful reading month that was! I'll try to do better in April...after all there's an Easter break perfect for lounging about reading. 

I can't rave about any of these books although I suspect I might have been more inclined to do so about Hector etc if I hadn't had to read it on the iPad. No matter how hard I try I can't embrace this way of reading. But I'm going to have to...I've downloaded some real goodies and they MUST be read! I'll need to get over my aversion to snuggling up with a bit of technology as opposed to bits of paper.

While the reading was more than a bit light on...I did see six movies! What a pity I can only remember five! Again, courtesy of QANTAS...they were...

I really enjoyed Red. Who doesn't love Helen Mirren. I mean, really...

February...over already. That's ludicrous. Have I told you that ludicrous is my favourite word? Well it is.
So, we know February is a short month, and I'm back at work...and back to working full time for a while (yes, it's unfortunately necessary) so you won't be surprised that I haven't read as many books this month as I did in January. That may become a record, even for me!
Here's what I managed though...six...not bad for a short month.

Aunts up the Cross by Robin Eakin - memoir

The Men and the Girls by Joanna Trollope - fiction

A Married Man by Catherine Alliott - fiction

Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon - historical fiction

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - fiction

Details by Lili Diallo - design

So how did I go? There's quite a bit of 'fluff' this month isn't there? But that's ok...perhaps February can be official fluff month in future :) And all of the fiction is Brit fiction...how on earth did that happen! And speaking of all things Brit...that gorgeous possum Colin...ah. Here's part of his off stage press conference after winning the Oscar...

Now where was I after that momentary distraction? Of course I loved looking at all the beautiful pictures in Details...secrets of styling indeed..it was delicious. And yes, I did read all the text as well...I'm not a cheater!

Aunts up the Cross is so quirky...what a family. Eccentricity redefined. I think my favourite though was The Men and the Girls.

I don't think I've ever read a Joanna Trollope book that I haven't loved. Her characters always have the most wonderful flaws; but there's always something to love about them. This is a story of two women living with older men. The main character is Kate, married to James, and then there's Julia, married to Hugh. Hugh and James are old friends. Beatrice Bachelor (isn't that a fab name), a feisty 'spinster', comes into their lives when James knocks her off her bike, and she becomes a catalyst for enormous change. Trollope never ends her novels in quite the way you would expect, but when you're done, you nod your head and go...yep, that's just as it should be.

Two very long plane trips coming up for me this month...I've gone to the dark side and will be reading off this...

Could this be the end of the world as I know it. Doesn't bear thinking about :)