Monday 23 December 2013

2013 Reading Summary - Monthly Breakdown

Before I start baking cookies for Xmas and on, I thought I'd review my reading selections of 2013. Just a monthly look at what I read and my favourites of each month. I'll review January thru March for this Blog entry.

January 2013

1. Deception in his Mind (Inspector Lynley #6) (Mystery) by Elizabeth George (3 stars)
2. A Man Lay Dead (Inspector Alleyn) (Mystery) by Ngaio Marsh (3 stars)
3. Hello America (Science Fiction) by J.G. Ballard (3 stars)
4. The Nursing Home Murder (Inspector Alleyn #3) (Mystery) by Ngaio Marsh (3 stars)
5. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell #1) (Historical Mystery) by Laurie R. King (3 stars)
6. Death in Ecstasy (Inspector Alleyn) (Mystery) by Ngaio Marsh (3 stars)
7. Close Quarters (Mystery) by Michael Gilbert (3 stars)
8. The Woman in Black (Horror) by Susan Hill (4 stars) My favourite of the month.
"I bought this because I had enjoyed the movie with Daniel Radcliffe. Taking account of the differences between the movie and the original book, I found this to be an intense, well-written horror story. It's a relatively short story, but Susan Hill manages to pack in an excellent, complete story into the space. She also manages to create a spooky atmosphere very quickly and had me holding my breath as I read it. Not terrifying, but a spooky story with an excellent feeling about it. Loved it."
9. Artists in Crime (Inspector Alleyn) (Mystery) by Ngaio Marsh (4 stars)
10. Q is for Quarry (Kinsey Milhone) (Mystery) by Sue Grafton (3 stars)

February 2013

11. The Man in the High Castle (Science Fiction) by Philip K. Dick (5 stars)
12. Case Histories (Jackson Brodie) (Mystery) by Kate Atkinson (5 stars) My favourite of February
"Such an excellent book and definitely my favourite of 2013. I had seen the BBC TV series starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie, which I'd enjoyed immensely. So I approached this with both trepidation and excitement. I did find it somewhat odd that the book is set in Cambridge, whereas the TV series was set in Scotland, but once I'd accepted the difference, I enjoyed the book so very much. Kate Atkinson draws you in immediately, introducing the various Case Histories, then Jackson Brodie, then meanders through each, tying them together when felt necessary. Every character is interesting and well-presented, Jackson Brodie is super, witty but with his own issues. The story isn't really tense, even though there are awful crimes involved, but it's more of a character study. The writing is subtle, intelligent, funny at times. Loved it so very much. I look forward to reading more of Kate Atkinson's work. Thanks to the BBC to introducing me to her and making me search out her books."
13. The Killings at Badger's Drift (Chief Inspector Barnaby #1) (Mystery) by Caroline Graham (4 stars)
14. A Maze of Death (Science Fiction) by Philip K. Dick (4 stars)
15. The Water Man's Daughter (Mystery) by Emma Ruby-Sachs (4 stars)
16. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (Science Fiction) by Philip K. Dick (3 stars)
17. The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope #1) (Mystery) by Ann Cleeves (4 stars)
18.  Marnie (Mystery) by Winston Graham (4 stars)
19. Dr. Bloodmoney or How We Got Along after the Bomb (Science Fiction) by Philip K. Dick (4 stars)

March 2013

20. Shakespeare's Trollop (Lily Bard #4) (Mystery) by Charlaine Harris (3 stars)
21. Stamboul Train: An Entertainment (Fiction) by Graham Greene (4 stars)
22. Bangkok 8 (Sonchai Jitpleecheep #1) (Mystery) by John Burdett (4 stars)
23. The Razor's Edge (Fiction) by W. Somerset Maugham (5 stars) My favourite of March and of 2013)
"I'd never read any Somerset Maugham before and really had no desire to read anything by him either. However recently I saw The Razor's Edge in a antique/ collectibles shop and I liked the look of it. Since one of my Reading groups was reading Modern English Classics as this month's genre, I decided to read it. I must say that I was most pleasantly surprised. Maugham has a way about him of telling a story. His writing style is very fluid and eminently readable. The story was interesting, the dialogue flowed nicely and I found myself waiting anxiously to get back to the book when I put it down. Did a lot happen? It was a tale of people, specifically friends of Maugham's, as he is the narrator and a character, who he spends time with and observes. I liked the characters and I liked Maugham as well. He's an observer of humanity and expresses his observations so very well. Anyway, I loved the story, it's one of my favourites of this year. Will I read any more of his books? Well I purchased [book:The Moon and Sixpence|527107] yesterday, so I hope so.. "
24. Definitely Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #6) (Fantasy) by Charlaine Harris (3 stars)
25. Grave Sight (Harper Connelly #1) (Mystery) by Charlaine Harris (3 stars)
26. Dead over Heels (Aurora Teagarden #5) (Mystery) (3 stars)
27. Introducing the Honourable Phryne Fisher (Phryne Fisher #1-3) (Mystery) by Kerry Greenwood (4 stars)

So there you have it. Mostly mysteries it seems out of the first 27 books -

Mystery - 18
Science Fiction/ Fantasy - 6
Fiction - 2
Horror - 1

Next entry April thru Jun. :0)

2 more shopping days until Christmas. Enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. Hey! Great Post xx I have nominated you for a Liebster Award which you can check out here: http://abookparadise.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/liebster-award-no-4.html Congrats and Merry Christmas :) Much Love, Tanya x

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