Book list 2004/2005
As with my previous post I am intending to keep a list of books I read this year with notes. I have put the list behind the cut tag below because A) it will likely get very long and B)because of spoilers.
I have decided to run my reading year from 25th December since that is when I tend to get given a big pile of books.
25th December to 24th January
1. How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson (non-fic), once again despite the fact I find Nigella an irritating writer for many reasons I don't want to go into she does have fantastic recipes. A brilliant book packed with brilliant baking recipes.
2. The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (fic)- It is a while since I read this first in this series "The Ruby in the Smoke" but I really enjoyed this book. A lot more than I thought I would when I first started reading it.
3. Jhereg by Steven Brust (fic) this is probably one of my favourite of the Vlad Taltos series so far.
4. Yendi by Steven Brust (fic) technically this was a re-read but I had recently been bought 3 in 1 Steven Brust books and this was the second. It stood up fairly well to a second reading.
5. Teckla by Steven Brust (fic) So far this has been my least favourite Vlad Taltos story. I just never really got a good sense of where Steven Brust was going with this one, and I came away with the distinct impression that it was all a bit self-indugent.
6. The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman (fic) again surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting half the things that happened and I really shared the heroine's sense of frustration at many different points in the book.
7. Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham (fic)1930 murder mystery
8. Taltos by Steven Brust (fiction) Re-read.
9. Dragon by Steven Brust (fiction) I found this Vlad Taltos novel was a little too patchwork for my taste. The timeline jumped around so much I got lost quite a few times. But the impression I get from the depth of the world behind the story was again very rich and interesting.
10. Phoenix by Steven Brust (fiction) This novel carried on from Teckla and although I preferred it to Teckla in many ways I still didn't like it as much as Jhereg which remains my favourite in the series.
11. Cat among the pigeons by Agatha Christie (fiction)This Hercule Poirot story left me pretty cold. Didn't think it was very good and Hercule Poirot only turned up 3/4 of the way through the novel which meant the the detective work didn't have much of a lynchpin through most of the book.
12. Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks by Constance B Hieatt, Brenda Hosington and Sharon Butler (non-fiction) This is a very good medieval recipe book, it gives you the original text if you want to translate it yourself and it also gives a translation and very clear instructions for cooking.
13. Unpleasantness at the Bellona club by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) 1920s murder mystery. This novel gave me in interesting insight into the differing social morals of the time. Notably when the murderer, having confessed, is told that his death at the hangman's noose is assured and that it may be better all round if he finds another way out of this situation. One of the murderer's friends then tells the murderer that he is leaving his loaded pistol in a drawer. Then the murderer's two friends leave the room allowing the murderer to shoot himself in the head in the dignity and privacy of the Bellona club library. And this is considered the only gentlemanly conclusion. It was so odd it was actually interesting.
14. The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman (fiction) this is the last book in the series I was reading which preceded His Dark Materials. As a series it was less complex than His dark Materials but it had come great ideas and were very fun to read.
25th January to 24th February
15. Foucault's Pendulam by Umberto Eco (fiction). I noticed that my last month's worth of reading was all pretty light stuff. I think that this was largely because work has been very time consuming of late and I didn't feel i had the headspace to read books which challenged me. Therefore this was my move into more challenging reading. I found this book hard but enjoyable and it really made me think at man points during the text.
16. Between the Acts by Viginia Woolf (fiction). Gosh this was weird. More like reading a very very very long poem than a novel. It had no chapters which I found hard going, since I usually try to get to the end of a chapter before putting the book down. No natural breaks really so I felt like I read the whole book without taking a breath - interesting contrast to Foucault's Pendulam which often had chapters of only 2 or 3 pages in length. Some fantastic use of language though which I really enjoyed.
17. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (fiction). I wasn't very impressed with this book many of the jokes seemed to have been done better in her other books and the classic Austen love story element was not as well executed as that of Pride and Prejudice or any of the others. I believe that this novel was written much earlier than the rest which could explain it but I am not sure I would bother reading it if I hadn't already.
18. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (fiction). Fantastic, loved this book. It was quite long for a tense psycological drama but I didn't mind.
19. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy Sayers (fiction). My least favourite Lord Peter Whimsey book to date. I just couldn't get into this one at all.
25th February to 24th March
20. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (fiction). Didn't particularly inspire me.
21. Roland v Sophie by Dawn Camus (fiction). I have done a proper lengthy review of this for lathany
22. Athyra by Steven Brust (fiction). Reread since I am now trying to read all the Vlad Taltos stuff in order. This book is much better for being read in order.
23. Orca by Steven Brust (fiction) Reread - for the same reasons as before. End twist is still crap but it is nice to have a book with a very complicated plot (bit like Yendi) again after a few more action type things. As far as I know I only have one more Taltos book to read so I am getting a little concerned at the non-resolution of some of the big plots. I presume that Mr. Brust is still churning them out.
24. Orlando by Virginia Woolf (fiction) This was genius. I can hardly describe the chills and excitment I felt at times when I was reading this. Halfway through and was already looking forward to rereading it. It made me think and feel and it was wonderful. Thank you ealuscerwen
25. Issola by Steven Brust (fiction)This is the latest Vlad Taltos novel and probably the most broken. I read it because I am weak.
26. Idlewild by Nick Sagan (fiction) Pulp Sci Fi, not particularly original and poor characterisation. I enjoyed it but only a little.
27. I shall not be moved by Maya Angelou (poetry) Some of these I didn't understand and some of these were very moving. Overall I suddenly appreciated how rusty my poetry reading skills are.
28. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (fiction) Very different in flavour to the Women in White and absolutely excellant I enjoyed every second and really appreciated (once more) how using so many different narrating voices increases anticipation and is generally interesting.
25th March to 24th April
29. Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) Very enjoyable if a little short and I thought that the morality of the heros was somewhat questionable at times which makes for interesting reading.
30. The Tiger in the Smoke by Margaret Allingham (fiction) crime novel with Mr Campion in it. It didn't really keep my interest going even though it was fairly short.
31. Winter Trees by Sylvia Plath (poetry) Some of these poems I found impenetrable but Three Women was a piece of genuis.
32. The Goddess and the Tree by Ellen Canon Reed (non-fiction) this was a very broad, high level look at the Qabala from a pagan/more women friendly perspective. I didn't agree with all of it but it was very interesting and got me thinking which is never a bad thing.
33. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (fiction) Victorian novel dealing with the industrial revolution. I liked this because it was very different to the Victorian novels I have read in the past. However, I found it difficult to sympathise with even the main character (probably a difference in values between me and the Victorians) and towards the end it felt somewhat dragged out.
34. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (fiction) I preferred this to North and South by quite some way. It was witty and a clever little portrait of village life and village prejudices. It was written in a completely different style to North and South though and this threw me a bit.
35. Howard's End by E.M.Forster (fiction) This book constantly surprised me, everytime I thought I knew where its morality or message lay it changed on me. I am not sure that I liked it but I am *very* glad I read it. It really got me thinking and challenged me.
36. Bridge of Birds by Gary Hughart (fiction) I have never found a better use for the word delightful to convey the pleasent. simple and whimsical nature of this book.
25th April to 24th May
37. Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) Another Lord Peter Whimsey murder mystery - not particularly remarkable but a pleasure to read as always.
38. Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) This may well turn out to be one of my favourite Whimsey novels.
39. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shrivers (fiction) - since this is a book club book I shall reserve my write up of it until then.
40. The Paths of the Death by Steven Brust (fiction) - quite good, a little samey in places because of the writing style but better than the later Vlad Taltos stuff.
25th May to 24th June
41. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (fiction) - enjoyable, very interesting and a good idea but a bit too long.
42. The Prophet by Kamil Gibran (philosophy)- Beautifully written. I really appreciated the poetry of it but this didn't stop me violently disagreeing with sections of it.
43. Lord Peter views the body by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - this was a collection of short stories about Lord Peter Whimsey all with some sort of mystery involved although not always murder. My favourite by quite some way was "the dragons head" in which Lord Peter's nephew is involved. Enjoyable.
44. The Waves by Virginia Woolf (fiction) - Again I find myself drawn into Woolf's poetical world. She writes poetry not novels as far as I am concerned and I like this challenge to my concept of the world. She writes wonderfully again and I know I will come back to this book and reread it in years to come.
45. In the teeth of the evidence by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - Ok, but nowhere near as good as Lord Peter views the body.
46. Monsters and Villians (new Dr Who) (fiction) - finally something set off world, albeit run by humans. Fairly good renditions of the two main characters. More off-world stories please!
47. The Clockwise Man (new Dr Who) (fiction) - somehow just not as good as Monsters and Villians There were some nice ideas but the execution as a whole just did do it for me.
25th June to 24th July
48. The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross (fiction) - This felt brilliant, really fresh and interesting with lots of geek homages which made me feel clever and part of the target audience. There is easily scope for a whole series here.
49. The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross (fiction) - Plenty of good ideas, fast paced and lots of tension.
50. Winner takes all (new Dr Who) (fiction) - Of all the new Dr Who novels this one read most like it should be for children. Not particularly inspiring.
51. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (fiction) - Interesting vingette of life. One of the things I like about Virginia Woolf's writing is the way that she takes a normal domestic scene and then picks it apart to show you what is really going on in people's minds underneath everything.
52. The Good Women of China by Xianran (non-fiction) - this was a partly autobiographical novel which contained accounts of some of the life stories of different generations of chinese women. It was at the same time desparately upsetting and heartwarming and open up an area of the history of women that I knew very little about.
53. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (fiction) - well like everyone else I bought and read this. I was pleasantly surprised itwas better than the Order of the Phoenix and I thought the last 1/4 of the book was pacy and contained lots of good surprises.
54. The Art of Murder by Jose Carlos Somoza (fiction) Since this is a book club book I will write a more detailed review of it after the meeting.
55. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (fiction) (reread) This book cannot be read too many times. It is laugh out loud funny and I enjoyed it all over again. Harris sings a comic song is still the best bit :)
25th July to 24th August
56. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Graham Maguire (fiction) I did like this book but for some reason I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I think this is largely to do with not being a particularly big fan of the wizard of Oz so I wasn't really that bothered by all the references. However, the character of Elphaba was great, well rounded and always interesting.
57. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (fiction) I enjoyed this book with the juxtaposition of whimsey and people behaving pretty badly to each other. It gave a really interesting insight into a certain type of life in a certain time in Britain. Most of all I loved the ending.
58. Mr Pye by Mervyn Peake (fiction) - just incredibly odd!
59. Have his Carcase by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - An excellant Peter Whimsey novel which really brings out the tension in the relationship between Harriet Vane and Lord Peter. Excellantly done.
25th August to 24th September
60. An Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - A solid Peter Whimsey story but fairly unremarkable.
61. War of Flowers by Tad Williams (fiction) - too long and way too slow. It should have been 3/4 the length.
62. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - Probably will make it into my list of favourite books of all time. It discussed many of the issues I have thought about myself concerning marriage and it was set in Oxford which meant I felt I was revisiting my student days with Harriet Vane at the same time. The crime plot was very much incidental to a brilliant book.
63. A Tale of Time City by Dianne Wynne Jone (fiction) - a childrens Sci Fi book with some interesting ideas.
64. A Heritage of British Cooking by Maggie Black (non-fiction) - A fantastically interesting looking at cooking at home and for show in Stuart, Georgian and Victorian England. Lots of interesting evidence and trends and recipes which can be replicated in the modern kitchen.
65. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (fiction) - since this was a book club book the write up will be in a later entry.
25th September to 24th October
66. The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards (Dr Who novel) - Of all the new Dr Who books I think this was the least good. The idea was very promising but just didn't deliver.
67. Only Human by Gareth Roberts (Dr Who novel) - OK
68. The Stealers of Dreams by Steve Lyons (Dr Who novel) - OK
69. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud - All the elements of a good book were there but for some reason I just couldn't click with this one.
25th October to 24th November.
70. Striding Folly by Dorothy Sayers - Although I haven't read all the Whimsey novels these were chronologically the last stories with him in them and I felt that they were too short, I wanted more and I was very sorry to say goodbye to Peter and Harriet.
71. One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyer - This is a book club book and so I shall leave the right up for then.
25th November to 24th December
72. Diary of a Farmers Wife - (non-fiction) (reread) This is the second time I have read this real life diary of a year or so in the life of a farmers wife from the 1700s. It is really interesting read particularly for the recipes.
73. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price by JK Rowling - (reread) I know that I read this book twice in one year which seems a little extreme but I was keen to get a bit of a HP fix after I enjoyed the movie.
74. Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh - This is a murder mystery part of the Inspector Alleyn series. It finally read it and generally thought it was ok but nothing particularly special or amazing.
I started another 4 books in Nov/Dec but didn't finish any of them so these will probably be pushed into next year.
I have decided to run my reading year from 25th December since that is when I tend to get given a big pile of books.
25th December to 24th January
1. How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson (non-fic), once again despite the fact I find Nigella an irritating writer for many reasons I don't want to go into she does have fantastic recipes. A brilliant book packed with brilliant baking recipes.
2. The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (fic)- It is a while since I read this first in this series "The Ruby in the Smoke" but I really enjoyed this book. A lot more than I thought I would when I first started reading it.
3. Jhereg by Steven Brust (fic) this is probably one of my favourite of the Vlad Taltos series so far.
4. Yendi by Steven Brust (fic) technically this was a re-read but I had recently been bought 3 in 1 Steven Brust books and this was the second. It stood up fairly well to a second reading.
5. Teckla by Steven Brust (fic) So far this has been my least favourite Vlad Taltos story. I just never really got a good sense of where Steven Brust was going with this one, and I came away with the distinct impression that it was all a bit self-indugent.
6. The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman (fic) again surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting half the things that happened and I really shared the heroine's sense of frustration at many different points in the book.
7. Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham (fic)1930 murder mystery
8. Taltos by Steven Brust (fiction) Re-read.
9. Dragon by Steven Brust (fiction) I found this Vlad Taltos novel was a little too patchwork for my taste. The timeline jumped around so much I got lost quite a few times. But the impression I get from the depth of the world behind the story was again very rich and interesting.
10. Phoenix by Steven Brust (fiction) This novel carried on from Teckla and although I preferred it to Teckla in many ways I still didn't like it as much as Jhereg which remains my favourite in the series.
11. Cat among the pigeons by Agatha Christie (fiction)This Hercule Poirot story left me pretty cold. Didn't think it was very good and Hercule Poirot only turned up 3/4 of the way through the novel which meant the the detective work didn't have much of a lynchpin through most of the book.
12. Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks by Constance B Hieatt, Brenda Hosington and Sharon Butler (non-fiction) This is a very good medieval recipe book, it gives you the original text if you want to translate it yourself and it also gives a translation and very clear instructions for cooking.
13. Unpleasantness at the Bellona club by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) 1920s murder mystery. This novel gave me in interesting insight into the differing social morals of the time. Notably when the murderer, having confessed, is told that his death at the hangman's noose is assured and that it may be better all round if he finds another way out of this situation. One of the murderer's friends then tells the murderer that he is leaving his loaded pistol in a drawer. Then the murderer's two friends leave the room allowing the murderer to shoot himself in the head in the dignity and privacy of the Bellona club library. And this is considered the only gentlemanly conclusion. It was so odd it was actually interesting.
14. The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman (fiction) this is the last book in the series I was reading which preceded His Dark Materials. As a series it was less complex than His dark Materials but it had come great ideas and were very fun to read.
25th January to 24th February
15. Foucault's Pendulam by Umberto Eco (fiction). I noticed that my last month's worth of reading was all pretty light stuff. I think that this was largely because work has been very time consuming of late and I didn't feel i had the headspace to read books which challenged me. Therefore this was my move into more challenging reading. I found this book hard but enjoyable and it really made me think at man points during the text.
16. Between the Acts by Viginia Woolf (fiction). Gosh this was weird. More like reading a very very very long poem than a novel. It had no chapters which I found hard going, since I usually try to get to the end of a chapter before putting the book down. No natural breaks really so I felt like I read the whole book without taking a breath - interesting contrast to Foucault's Pendulam which often had chapters of only 2 or 3 pages in length. Some fantastic use of language though which I really enjoyed.
17. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (fiction). I wasn't very impressed with this book many of the jokes seemed to have been done better in her other books and the classic Austen love story element was not as well executed as that of Pride and Prejudice or any of the others. I believe that this novel was written much earlier than the rest which could explain it but I am not sure I would bother reading it if I hadn't already.
18. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (fiction). Fantastic, loved this book. It was quite long for a tense psycological drama but I didn't mind.
19. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy Sayers (fiction). My least favourite Lord Peter Whimsey book to date. I just couldn't get into this one at all.
25th February to 24th March
20. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (fiction). Didn't particularly inspire me.
21. Roland v Sophie by Dawn Camus (fiction). I have done a proper lengthy review of this for lathany
22. Athyra by Steven Brust (fiction). Reread since I am now trying to read all the Vlad Taltos stuff in order. This book is much better for being read in order.
23. Orca by Steven Brust (fiction) Reread - for the same reasons as before. End twist is still crap but it is nice to have a book with a very complicated plot (bit like Yendi) again after a few more action type things. As far as I know I only have one more Taltos book to read so I am getting a little concerned at the non-resolution of some of the big plots. I presume that Mr. Brust is still churning them out.
24. Orlando by Virginia Woolf (fiction) This was genius. I can hardly describe the chills and excitment I felt at times when I was reading this. Halfway through and was already looking forward to rereading it. It made me think and feel and it was wonderful. Thank you ealuscerwen
25. Issola by Steven Brust (fiction)This is the latest Vlad Taltos novel and probably the most broken. I read it because I am weak.
26. Idlewild by Nick Sagan (fiction) Pulp Sci Fi, not particularly original and poor characterisation. I enjoyed it but only a little.
27. I shall not be moved by Maya Angelou (poetry) Some of these I didn't understand and some of these were very moving. Overall I suddenly appreciated how rusty my poetry reading skills are.
28. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (fiction) Very different in flavour to the Women in White and absolutely excellant I enjoyed every second and really appreciated (once more) how using so many different narrating voices increases anticipation and is generally interesting.
25th March to 24th April
29. Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) Very enjoyable if a little short and I thought that the morality of the heros was somewhat questionable at times which makes for interesting reading.
30. The Tiger in the Smoke by Margaret Allingham (fiction) crime novel with Mr Campion in it. It didn't really keep my interest going even though it was fairly short.
31. Winter Trees by Sylvia Plath (poetry) Some of these poems I found impenetrable but Three Women was a piece of genuis.
32. The Goddess and the Tree by Ellen Canon Reed (non-fiction) this was a very broad, high level look at the Qabala from a pagan/more women friendly perspective. I didn't agree with all of it but it was very interesting and got me thinking which is never a bad thing.
33. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (fiction) Victorian novel dealing with the industrial revolution. I liked this because it was very different to the Victorian novels I have read in the past. However, I found it difficult to sympathise with even the main character (probably a difference in values between me and the Victorians) and towards the end it felt somewhat dragged out.
34. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (fiction) I preferred this to North and South by quite some way. It was witty and a clever little portrait of village life and village prejudices. It was written in a completely different style to North and South though and this threw me a bit.
35. Howard's End by E.M.Forster (fiction) This book constantly surprised me, everytime I thought I knew where its morality or message lay it changed on me. I am not sure that I liked it but I am *very* glad I read it. It really got me thinking and challenged me.
36. Bridge of Birds by Gary Hughart (fiction) I have never found a better use for the word delightful to convey the pleasent. simple and whimsical nature of this book.
25th April to 24th May
37. Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) Another Lord Peter Whimsey murder mystery - not particularly remarkable but a pleasure to read as always.
38. Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) This may well turn out to be one of my favourite Whimsey novels.
39. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shrivers (fiction) - since this is a book club book I shall reserve my write up of it until then.
40. The Paths of the Death by Steven Brust (fiction) - quite good, a little samey in places because of the writing style but better than the later Vlad Taltos stuff.
25th May to 24th June
41. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (fiction) - enjoyable, very interesting and a good idea but a bit too long.
42. The Prophet by Kamil Gibran (philosophy)- Beautifully written. I really appreciated the poetry of it but this didn't stop me violently disagreeing with sections of it.
43. Lord Peter views the body by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - this was a collection of short stories about Lord Peter Whimsey all with some sort of mystery involved although not always murder. My favourite by quite some way was "the dragons head" in which Lord Peter's nephew is involved. Enjoyable.
44. The Waves by Virginia Woolf (fiction) - Again I find myself drawn into Woolf's poetical world. She writes poetry not novels as far as I am concerned and I like this challenge to my concept of the world. She writes wonderfully again and I know I will come back to this book and reread it in years to come.
45. In the teeth of the evidence by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - Ok, but nowhere near as good as Lord Peter views the body.
46. Monsters and Villians (new Dr Who) (fiction) - finally something set off world, albeit run by humans. Fairly good renditions of the two main characters. More off-world stories please!
47. The Clockwise Man (new Dr Who) (fiction) - somehow just not as good as Monsters and Villians There were some nice ideas but the execution as a whole just did do it for me.
25th June to 24th July
48. The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross (fiction) - This felt brilliant, really fresh and interesting with lots of geek homages which made me feel clever and part of the target audience. There is easily scope for a whole series here.
49. The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross (fiction) - Plenty of good ideas, fast paced and lots of tension.
50. Winner takes all (new Dr Who) (fiction) - Of all the new Dr Who novels this one read most like it should be for children. Not particularly inspiring.
51. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (fiction) - Interesting vingette of life. One of the things I like about Virginia Woolf's writing is the way that she takes a normal domestic scene and then picks it apart to show you what is really going on in people's minds underneath everything.
52. The Good Women of China by Xianran (non-fiction) - this was a partly autobiographical novel which contained accounts of some of the life stories of different generations of chinese women. It was at the same time desparately upsetting and heartwarming and open up an area of the history of women that I knew very little about.
53. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (fiction) - well like everyone else I bought and read this. I was pleasantly surprised itwas better than the Order of the Phoenix and I thought the last 1/4 of the book was pacy and contained lots of good surprises.
54. The Art of Murder by Jose Carlos Somoza (fiction) Since this is a book club book I will write a more detailed review of it after the meeting.
55. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (fiction) (reread) This book cannot be read too many times. It is laugh out loud funny and I enjoyed it all over again. Harris sings a comic song is still the best bit :)
25th July to 24th August
56. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Graham Maguire (fiction) I did like this book but for some reason I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I think this is largely to do with not being a particularly big fan of the wizard of Oz so I wasn't really that bothered by all the references. However, the character of Elphaba was great, well rounded and always interesting.
57. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (fiction) I enjoyed this book with the juxtaposition of whimsey and people behaving pretty badly to each other. It gave a really interesting insight into a certain type of life in a certain time in Britain. Most of all I loved the ending.
58. Mr Pye by Mervyn Peake (fiction) - just incredibly odd!
59. Have his Carcase by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - An excellant Peter Whimsey novel which really brings out the tension in the relationship between Harriet Vane and Lord Peter. Excellantly done.
25th August to 24th September
60. An Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - A solid Peter Whimsey story but fairly unremarkable.
61. War of Flowers by Tad Williams (fiction) - too long and way too slow. It should have been 3/4 the length.
62. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers (fiction) - Probably will make it into my list of favourite books of all time. It discussed many of the issues I have thought about myself concerning marriage and it was set in Oxford which meant I felt I was revisiting my student days with Harriet Vane at the same time. The crime plot was very much incidental to a brilliant book.
63. A Tale of Time City by Dianne Wynne Jone (fiction) - a childrens Sci Fi book with some interesting ideas.
64. A Heritage of British Cooking by Maggie Black (non-fiction) - A fantastically interesting looking at cooking at home and for show in Stuart, Georgian and Victorian England. Lots of interesting evidence and trends and recipes which can be replicated in the modern kitchen.
65. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (fiction) - since this was a book club book the write up will be in a later entry.
25th September to 24th October
66. The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards (Dr Who novel) - Of all the new Dr Who books I think this was the least good. The idea was very promising but just didn't deliver.
67. Only Human by Gareth Roberts (Dr Who novel) - OK
68. The Stealers of Dreams by Steve Lyons (Dr Who novel) - OK
69. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud - All the elements of a good book were there but for some reason I just couldn't click with this one.
25th October to 24th November.
70. Striding Folly by Dorothy Sayers - Although I haven't read all the Whimsey novels these were chronologically the last stories with him in them and I felt that they were too short, I wanted more and I was very sorry to say goodbye to Peter and Harriet.
71. One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyer - This is a book club book and so I shall leave the right up for then.
25th November to 24th December
72. Diary of a Farmers Wife - (non-fiction) (reread) This is the second time I have read this real life diary of a year or so in the life of a farmers wife from the 1700s. It is really interesting read particularly for the recipes.
73. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price by JK Rowling - (reread) I know that I read this book twice in one year which seems a little extreme but I was keen to get a bit of a HP fix after I enjoyed the movie.
74. Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh - This is a murder mystery part of the Inspector Alleyn series. It finally read it and generally thought it was ok but nothing particularly special or amazing.
I started another 4 books in Nov/Dec but didn't finish any of them so these will probably be pushed into next year.