The Year in Books - November

Sadly these past few months I have had to stop participating in 'The Year in Books' organised by Laura at  Circle of Pine Trees, due to time restrictions. Yet I feel now would be a good time to join again, especially as cosy winter evenings are perfect for snuggling up with a good book.  My reading list recently has been quite varied as always.  A favourite in the past few months has been 'Where She Went' by Gayle Forman, the follow up to the amazing young adult novel 'If I Stay'.  This was one of those books I did not want to end but hungrily read on as I needed to know what happened.  Forman is definitely an author I will be reading again very soon and encourage anybody to try, even if like me you are not a young adult.  

So what will I be reading in November?  After a recent trip to the library I returned armed with books I have been wanting to read for a while.  First up is the tale of an adventure up the west coast of America.  'Wild - A Journey from Lost to Found' by Cheryl Strayed has been dramatised as a movie recently but as always I have chosen to read the book first.  Having loved books like 'Eat, Pray, Love' I am sure 'Wild' will be spiritually uplifting for me as the reader as I join her on her incredible journey.  Next up this month is an autobiographical journey with a lady I have admired for many years, Jo Whiley.  Over the years Jo has had a big influence over my musical choices and I just love her style and friendly yet incredibly cool way of dj-ing, so am looking forward to reading 'My World in Motion'.

Maybe two books are ambitious but I think it's about time I got back to reading reguarly again and know both of these books will keep me enthralled.  What will you be reading this month? Perhaps join in with The Year in Books? Find out more on Laura's blog here.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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The Year In Books - January

Last year I vowed to read more and eagerly took part in Laura at Circle of Pine Trees project, The Year in Books.  This seemed like a wonderful way to make sure I read regularly again, but also connected with other bibliophiles, sharing our love of reading and discovering even more books to read. Without the pressure of a book club, all reading the same book, each of us chose our own books, writing each month about these and then sharing these via Laura's linky.  So now I am thinking ahead to this year and will again be taking part in The Year in Books and I know that Laura has plans to expand on last years success, by adding monthly twitter chats and maybe even a month where we can read the same book if we want to join in.  

Obviously the next eleven weeks for me will be filled with dissertation research and writing, but I still plan to read fiction, every night before I go to sleep.  I am currently two thirds through 'How To Fall in Love' by one of my favourites, Cecelia Ahern.  This is a truly wonderful page turner, with intrinsic detail to the underlying story aswell as what is written on the page.  Learning to live and love life again the characters are believable and I truly hope that they find happiness in the final chapters.

Thankfully Santa has added to my increasing reading pile, with Cecelia Ahern's latest 'The Year I Met You', the much anticipated 'Us' by David Nicholls and then Markus Zusak's 'The Book Thief'.  Now I know I am a little late to the party with the last one, but I am really looking forward to reading this.  As for 'Us' I am a little apprehensive as 'One Day' is  one of my favourite books of the past decade, so I shall cross my fingers and hope it doesn't disppoint.  Another addition to our bookshelves here this Christmas was a beautiful Folio edition of my all time favourite book, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.  The joys of being married to a vintage and antique bookseller!  

So what will I read next? I think it will be 'Us'. How about you, what is next on your reading list? For more inspiration, or to join in the fun, visit Circle of Pine Trees to find out more about The Year in Books.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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Reflecting on Word for 2014

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After a lovely break over Christmas, I have returned to my dissertation research today.  Endless cups of tea, comfy jeans and cosy socks are necessities for this task. However I have just popped in here to reflect upon my word for 2014, before the year comes to an end and before I share my word for 2015.  Having spent a while considering my word this time last year, I settled on TIME.  My life had become incredibly hectic and I felt I had no time for anything or was really awful at making time for things. There never seemed enough time to do the fun stuff nevermind the important or necessary things.  

So did choosing time as my word for 2014 have any impact?  This is a question I have pondered over the past couple of weeks and I am pleased to report that yes, it has.  I made sure I found time to sew, to bake, to play Scrabble with the children.  By joining in with The Year in Books, I made sure I found time to read a different book each month.  Whilst I haven't written this blog regularly, I have made time to write and am liking the idea of the slow blogging movement, discussed by Holly on Decor 8.  Another aspect of making more time was the introduction of date days with my husband, walks on the beach, trips out for coffee, became features in my diary and will be continued throughout 2015, with cinema trips and visits to local National Trust houses and gardens added to the list.  

Choosing a word for the year really helped me to focus, especially when I was feeling very stressed trying to juggle the demands of study, family, work and running a house.  As for taking this forward I plan to continue making time for things in 2015.  Yet I have chosen a new word for 2015, which I will share with you later this week.  

Have you chosen your word yet? Be sure to share with me.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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The Year in Books : December

I know it has been a while since I wrote a post for The Year in Books but I have still been reading, although mostly journal articles for assignments and my dissertation.  However unless you have an interest in paediatric oncology, prostate cancer or health literacy I am sure none of these will be of interest! But thankfully I still find a few minutes each night to read before I go to sleep.  Over the past few weeks I have loved If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Both have recently been released on the big screen but I am always cautious when great books are made into films, so I haven't rushed to the cinema just yet.  

This month I have opted for something a bit more light hearted, in the shape of my old heroine Bridget Jones.  A little late to the party in reading the latest diary, Mad About The Boy, from this character, but I have already spent the last few nights reading into the small hours. Clearly I am not disappointed with Helen Fieldings latest offering, already rooting for Bridget to make it through the abyss of single parenting and getting back on her feet after the loss of her great love, Mr Darcy.  

My Christmas list is always full of books and with a bookseller husband there is always something to read in our house.  Perhaps if you are stuck for what to read next pop over to The Year in Books link up on Circle of Pines for plenty of inspiration and reviews.  Also if you are looking for some vintage Ladybird, Enid Blyton or Penguin books for stocking fillers this Christmas then pop over to Letters & Luggage on Etsy.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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The Year in Books - July

With the promise of long, lazy summer days looming I have been stock piling books from the library.  There are several that I really want to read, having read reviews from other bloggers taking part in The Year in Books and also from reviews in Red.  Infact there are so many books I want to read at the moment that I wish there was such a job as professional book reader! 

June was a bit of a miss for me regarding my book choice.  I managed about the first third but to be perfectly honest I wasn't enjoying it.  It was well written but didn't really capture my imagination.  So having promised myself that if I'm not enjoying a book after the first quarter to waste no more time on it.  Long gone are the days when I had to read books for my English A level or the English Literature part of my first degree.  Life is too short to be wasted on books I am not enjoying, especially when there are so many books I really want to read.  Therefore I have spent much of June catching up on favourite magazines (Red, The Simple Things and Country Living) and have almost finished Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff as recommended by Lucy, my thirteen year old daughter.  I have to admit Meg Rosoff is fast becoming one of my favourite authors this year.  Even though her work is aimed at young adults and my greying hair and fine lines suggest I no longer fit this category, I am enthralled by her stories.  I adore the way she writes and have yet to find one of her books that I don't devour with great zest.

Already part way into July I have a little pile of books aligned, ready and waiting for my attention.  Dear Life by Alice Munro, Five Days by Douglas Kennedy and Life After Life by Kate Atkinson are on my list this month and I still have Gone Girl waiting in the wings.  However I am not sure I will get through all of these this month but I am hoping for plenty of reading time.  So now I am just hoping for the sunshine to return so I can lay out in the garden and enjoy many happy hours with a book.

What are you reading this month?  Recommendations are always appreciated and be sure to see what everyone else is reading for The Year in Books project.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
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The Year In Books - June

Well where is this year going, June already? So far I am thrilled I have managed to keep up with reading a book a month.  Even though I have had a huge amount of studying to do I have made time to read most evenings, a sacred few minutes at bedtime.  By cutting back on my magazine obsession I have made time to enjoy reading books again.  So last month I read Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling and I am so glad I made this choice.  Quite frankly this book is fantastic.  Being a Harry Potter fan and having already read The The Cuckoo's Calling, penned under her pseudonym, anticipation was high.  Thankfully Ms Rowling did not disappoint.  Her characters were believeable, well researched, gritty and plausible.  Nothing was too horrible to be written to add to characters whole persona, real life captured in it's most basic sense.  Survival became an apparent theme, each character striving for something, better or worse being the readers opinion.  This book will make you question your preconceptions about society, the social classes.  Now I only hope that another adult fiction is being penned by this phenomenal writer. However I am already longingly awaiting the release of the next detective novel from her other pen name, Robert Galbraith.

So now to share my choice for June.  I have a huge list of books I want to read but again was distracted at the library by a display with a copy of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.  I have never read this book, which is included in the Penguin Modern Classics collection.  With a growing interest in young adult fiction, especially as Lucy gets older and we share books more and more, I wanted to read this novel written in the sixties by a teenager about teenagers.  Having got as far as the second chapter already I know this is going to be an interesting read.

Are you joining in The Year In Books? What have you chosen to read this month?  Perhaps you haven't chosen yet, so I can highly recommend Cukoo's Calling.

Have a wonderful weekend, until next time take care.
Zoe
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The Year In Books - April / May

I know I missed April, I had my head stuck in radiation physics textbooks and I am sure you would prefer me not to share my thoughts on these! Although I also managed to read some of my favourite magazines and I actually snuck in a book too.  I picked up 'From Notting Hill to New York Actually' by Ali McNamara in the library book sale, having seen a review for it a while ago in Red.  This was a fabulous story set in New York that I actually found very hard to put down.  With main characters that I could easily relate to and a storyline that was emotive, fun and verged on the romantic tales from Sex in the City, I did not really want it to end.  Infact I loved it so much the day after I finished reading it I reserved the first of Ali's books 'From Notting Hill with Love Actually' so that I can join most of the characters again very soon.  Just be sure to add either of these to your hand luggage this summer, I promise you will not be disappointed.

So for May I have chosen a book I have been waiting to read for a while.  As a huge Harry Potter fan I was of course delighted that Ms Rowling put pen to paper again for some more adult adventures.  I read The Cuckoo's Calling last year, devouring it very quickly so this month I am delving between the electronic pages of The Casual Vacancy, which I had squirreled away on my iPad.  Let's just hope it doesn't disppoint!

So what are you reading at the moment? I would love to know.  Perhaps you are looking for inspiration, be sure to visit Circle of Pines blog to see what many of us are reading for the year in books series.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
xo

The Year in Books - March

I am a little late to the table with my year in books post this month.  Life has been a little hectic but somehow I have managed to find some time to read a couple of books.  Those few snatched minutes at bedtime are so precious to me, a time when I can enter the pages of another world, just for a little while.  Last month I read and absolutely loved How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.  As you may remember this book was recommended by my eldest daughter, Lucy and it certainly didn't disappoint.  Infact I was pleasantly surprised by this young adult fiction, a novel full of fear, love and coping.  Initially I struggled to work out that this was set in modern day Britain, but soon adapted to the concept of our modern world being destroyed by war.  Entwined in moments of joy, love and tenderness there were moments of unimagainable fear.  The immature understanding of the characters made this even more poignant and the believability of their situation became easier as the story progressed.  Lucy and I have definitely added Meg Rosoff to our list of favourite authors this year and will be reading more of her work in the coming months.

Over the last month I have also been dipping in and out of the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I have been subscribed to Gretchen's daily email for several months and have enjoyed reading about her mission to make her life happier.  Taking a few moments a day for be grateful can help us all to feel happier and definitely something I am trying to adopt.

So this months book choice.  To be perfectly honest with you I have yet to choose from the many books awaiting my attention, both on my bedside table and loaded onto my iPad.  My biggest downfall is wanting to read more books than I have time for.  Books reguarly added to my wishlist on Amazon, nevermind the appeal of fabulous bookcovers on a trip to the library or the local bookshop.  

Right I will pick a book for a March.  The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has been on my list (and bedside table) for a little while, especially since Jack went to London recently to watch the play as part of his GCSE Drama course.  The best thing about taking part in The Year in Books is tha fact that I am taking making time to read books that I have wanted to try for ages.

What are you reading this month? I would love to know, maybe I can find space on my overloaded reading wishlist!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

The Year in Books - February

Well January flew by in haze of wet and windy days.  At last February has arrived and with the second day of sunshine and blue skies here in Suffolk I can almost smell spring.  Inspired by the idea from Laura of Circle of Pines to read a book a month, I have ended most of my evenings throughout January reading Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders.  This was an adventure through the comedienes life and a thoroughly enjoyable one too.  Although Jennifers writing seemed a little erratic at times but what more would you expect from a comic genius.  In the early days writing down their sketches were not part of their work, but as soon as French & Saunders worked for auntie beeb suddenly pen and paper were required.  It is clear that Jennifers head is bursting with ideas that occasionally pour out, I imagine in the same way she has shared her life in Bonkers.  

So time to chose another book.  This months choice is a recommendation from Lucy, my eldest daughter.  I had picked this book up from the library for her having read alot about it before Christmas as it was released as a film.  Being keen to share books with my children I am really excited as Lucy gets older that we can share books, having already encouraged her to read The Help, To Kill a Mockingbird and some of Cecelia Aherns books. So for Februarys book I will be reading How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.  

For more reading inspiration pop over to Lauras blog to see what the rest of the group are reading this month and what we read last month.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
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The Year in Books

Over the festive holiday I discovered a handful of fabulous blogs via Instagram and Pinterest.  I actually think these two are modern day versions of Alice in Wonderland as I often fall down the rabbit hole into a pretty world of newly discovered blogs and websites.  Anyway one of the blogs I found was Circle Of Pine Trees.  I love the simplistic design, the typewriter font and the writing style of it's creator, Laura.  Yesterday she posted about wanting to read more this year and decided to create a regular feature on her blog to share the books she reads.  I related to this post so much, also being a English Literature graduate, having previously lost days under a pile of fantastic storytelling.  But like Laura finding time to read the many books I have in my Amazon wishlist or loaded onto my iPad I loved the idea of commiting to reading one book a month. Surely even in my busy life I could manage this.  I have already decided this year to cut back on my magazine reading to make time for more book reading, so of course I decided to join Laura in this mission.

Quickly reacting to the great response for this challenge, Laura has created a badge (see in my sidebar) and a group on Goodreads for us to share and chat about whatever we have chosen to read.  Unlike a bookclub we each choose our own book, with no restrictions on choice.  So for this month I have chosen to read Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders, one of the funniest ladies ever, of course with Dawn French in that Top 5 too. I tend to only read autobiographies of people I like or am interested in so am really looking forward to reading Bonkers.  

Are you a bookworm or looking to make sure you read more this year? Find out more about The Year in Books here.  I will be sharing my book choices here each month and look forward to discovering new writers and indulging in my favourites too.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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