A 2018 reading roundup

So here we are a third of our way through 2018 and I haven’t done any reading roundups yet, but ‘Pining’ has been very book heavy recently, I hope to get some gardening posts and a bit more variety in general on here soon. But back to the books….

It has been a very active year so far reading wise, this is a testament to how long and miserable the winter weather has been. There were some days when I read a book from cover to cover so I’ve been romping through the book piles, but have almost certainly been buying books even faster! Below is an account of the types of books I’ve been reading.

I’ve read nine books by Scottish authors or with Scottish links. Val McDermid, Dorothy Dunnett, Louise Welsh, D.E. Stevenson (2), Sir Walter Scott, Naomi Mitchison, Muriel Spark and Anne Fine.

Eleven of the books were by authors new to me – Peter Ackroyd, Bernard Cornwell, Christopher St John Sprigg, Tomasi de Lampedusa, Elisabeth de Waal, Gene Stratton Porter, Angela Carter, Iris Murdoch, Adam Riches, Jean Webster and Anne Fine.

Only five of the books have been non-fiction (must do better). By Richard K. Massie, Beverley Nichols, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Margery Allingham and Adam Riches.

Only five are what I would call classics – Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, Tomasi de Lampedusa’s The Leopard, Naomi Mitchison’s Travel Light, Steinbeck’s The Pearl and Trollope’s The American Senator (yet to be blogged about).

Five are vintage crime books, the authors are – John Bude, J.Jefferson Farjeon, Patricia Wentworth (2), and Christopher St John Sprigg.

Five books were originally written for young people. The authors are Anne Fine, Noel Streatfeild, Gene Stratton Porter and Joan Aiken (2).

Only twelve of the authors are actually still alive – John le Carre, Val McDermid, Peter Ackroyd, Bernard Cornwell, Elly Griffiths, Penelope Lively, Richard K. Massie, Louise Welsh, Len Deighton, Hilary Mantel, Adam Riches and Anne Fine.

Luckily I’ve enjoyed most of the books, but don’t ask me which is my favourite as I couldn’t possibly comment!

All in all I’ve read 48 books so far this year but that should slow down with the improving weather – I live in hope!

4 thoughts on “A 2018 reading roundup

  1. I’m so jealous that you’ve read 48 books so far this year! I realize that I’ve been living in extenuating circumstances (moving house), but that doesn’t keep me from envying you! But gardening weather is coming soon, and that’ll have both of us outdoors!

    • Joan,
      The reading will definitely slow down when I get stuck into the garden. I definitely didn’t get any reading done when we were in the midst of moving house! It feels like November tonight, cold and the wind is howling – on the 1st of May.

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