Good morning Sunday Saloners,I hope you have all had a good reading week. My week has been very slow reading wise. I managed to finish only two books. The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I am afraid to say that I didn't really enjoy The Catcher In The Rye and I feel terrible saying that after the death this week of J.D. Salinger and seeing how so many of you thought so much of his work. I loved The Little Stranger, but I have to admit I found it quite scary and I don't normally find ghost books frightening. I think it is the subtlety of the book, that scared me the most.
This week I am presently working my way through The Earth Hums In B Flat by Mari Strachen and The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. I have also picked up this lovely little book below from the library.
I had read about it over at Molly's blog My Cozy Book Nook and was really intrigued by it. It is written by Chris Baty who is the founder of National Novel Writing Month and has great reviews. So I hope to be ploughing through this during the week.I bought two new books when I was in Brighton yesterday. I picked up Rebel by R.J. Anderson, as I loved Knife when I read it earlier in the year. I also bought Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, as it seems to be doing the rounds in the blogging world at the moment. With all my new books I am noticing a new trend, I am developing a completely black book cover shelf!
I thought I would do my monthly roundup today as well.
I have managed to read 15 books this month and I have to say I am really pleased.
Here are the books with links to the ones I have reviewed.
1) Ruined by Paula Morris
2) The Seance by John Harwood
3) The Stonewalkers by Vivien Alcock
4)Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
5)The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
6) How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
7)The Gourmet by Muriel Barberry
8) Thaw by Fiona Robyn
9)Persepolis 1
10) Persepolis 2
11)Nim's Island by Wendy Orr
12) Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
13) Skellig by David Almond
14) The Catcher and The Rye by J. D. Salinger
15) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Looking back over the month I have read some fabulous reads. I think the best book out of all of them had to be Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, with Ruined and The Little Stranger come a close second.
I am really pleased with how many books I read this month and hope I might be able to manage a similar amount next year.
How was your reading month?
Looks like you had a great reading month, I only managed 6 books :(
ReplyDeleteA quick question about Little Stranger, did you think it was him?
theres lots of debate about this over at the Book Group Online forums (link is on my review)
I read Baty's book before because I've been meaning to join NaNoWriMo for a couple of years now (but have not). It's a fun informative little book!
ReplyDeleteWow, you've been reading a lot! I only managed 5. I like SKELLIG. :)
ReplyDeleteKatrina - now you mention it, it does sound a bit like it could have been him. As things definitely got worse when she turned him down and without the rest of the family around, he could have the hall.
ReplyDeleteMee- I can't wait to read it.
Alice - Skellig was the best.
Don't feel bad about Catcher! Honestly, I have as many friends who hate it as friends who like it, at least :P
ReplyDeleteCatcher In the Rye really is one of those books that you either love or hate and it seems to me that more of my friends have hated it that have loved it.
ReplyDeleteNymeth - but so many of you love it! I have tried to be nice.
ReplyDeletePetty Witter - I just can't help it, I didn't like it.
Hey! That book's supposed to be exactly 50k words. The perfect NaNo novel. A lot of NaNo people i know swear by this book.
ReplyDeleteExcellent month in books! I've read 2,4,5, and 14 and enjoyed them. Hope February is enjoyable as well. (I so want to read Little Stranger; Waters).
ReplyDeleteYou did good reading and reviewing!
ReplyDeleteHere is my Sunday Salon post!
Congrats on reading so many books! I only managed to review 11 and read 13.
ReplyDeleteHope you'll visit my Sunday Salon
I read Catcher in the Rye in H.S. and barely remember it. Its time for a re-read.
ReplyDeleteDont feel bad about not enjoying it.
15 books this month is awesome! I only managed 7!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Amanda - Exactly 50k - that is madness! Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteDiane - you must read the Sarah Waters one. I thought it was brill.
Guatami & Book Dilettante - thank you.
Naida - I hope you find more that you like in The Catcher In The Rain than I did.
My reading month was awful. I read a ton of picture books and only one adult read. *sigh* I'm hoping to read at least 20 books in February. Your list is making me want to add these books to my TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a great reading month. Only 3 here, but that's good for me. I've never read Catch in the Rye, but nominate it for my online classics club. I hear it's not for everyone. Have a great week. No Sunday Salon for me this week.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic reading month you have had!! I read Catcher in the Rye for the first time in 2009 and I must admit that I did not enjoy it as much as most. I can understand why it resonates with so many youth, however, and perhaps if I had first read it as a teen I would be more sympathetic of Holden's perspective.
ReplyDeleteI still need to read Fingersmith - and then I would love to read The Little Stranger. Ah, if only there were more hours in the day (or I was independently wealthy and did not have to work)
I hope you enjoy No Plot, NO Problem as much as I did. It is a quick read - and yet there is plenty of material that I wish to go back and review.
Wow! Fifteen!! I thought I was doing great with eight! LOL.
ReplyDeleteThe Ice Queen is one I've been meaning to read...and Catcher in the Rye, too, especially now.
I can't believe that I haven't read it after all these years!
I did read a book by Joyce Maynard (whose book At Home in the World talks about her brief relationship with J. D. Salinger) intrigued me. Fascinating!
My salon:
http://laurel-rainsnowsaccidentallife.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunday-salon_31.html
My reading month seems to have been well but I never count. I average a book a week.
ReplyDeleteI have never read Salinger, or many of the 'classics' but I find it sad that we know so little about him now that he is dead, yet that is how he wanted it, & who can blame him?
Good luck with the new library find as well, I am intrigued!
Vasilly - you are really busy though, probably a lot busier than me, so don't feel bad about your reading level. Good luck for next month.
ReplyDeleteMolly - that is exactly what I put in my review. It would have suited me better as a teenager to read it. I would have been able to connect with it better.
Can't wait to read No Plot, No Problem. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Laurel - that is one of the reasons why I read Catcher in The Rye; it was one of those books that everyone talks about, but I had never read. It is just a shame I didn't like it.
Marie - one a week is good. I am just a bookaholic and can't stop myself.
Catcher in the Rye is my least favorite of Salinger's books. Too bad everyone always reads that one instead of his wonderful Franny and Zoey or Nine Stories!
ReplyDeleteVivienne, you had a GREAT reading month! As for me, I haven't read nearly as many books as you this month, but I've certainly enjoying the time I've spent reading.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like an excellent reading month! I had one too! I just posted my list on my blog, but I read 19 this month :) I've heard of many people who didn't enjoy Catcher in the Rye - I don't think that's anything to feel bad about! And you do so well with reviewing your books in a pretty timely manner. I only managed 9/19 this month :(
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great reading month! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI had a slow week too, since I went to visit my parents. While I'm there, I'd rather talk with them than read.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great reading month! I really want to read The Little Stranger and I keep feeling that I see Sarah Waters name all over the blogosphere lately. I've loved a couple of her books so I think I'll like this one a lot too. Hope February is another great reading month for you!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on reading so many books in January! Don't feel bad about not liking Catcher in the Rye - my mother-in-law disliked it so much that I've been afraid to tackle it. I think that my husband and I might make it our next read after we finish Ulysses (and who knows when that will be).
ReplyDeleteSmall World At Home -I shall make a note of these and perhaps trying reading them at a later date.
ReplyDeleteSuko - that is the most important thing, that you enjoyed the time you spend reading.
Clover - 19! Wow, I am impressed. I try to write my reviews straight after reading them, so I know they are done and out of the way then.
Yvonne - thankyou.
Bermudaonion - I hope you had a nice time with your parents.
Illiana - you must read The Little Stranger.
Alyce - I think I feel bad, because it is such bad timing with my review.
Wow, you got a lot read. How do you do it? I just can't seem to find as much time as I'd like to lately for reading.
ReplyDelete