Jo of The Book Jotter is hosting her Six in Six meme again and I’ve decided to join in. The idea is to look back at what you’ve read over the first six months of the year and to share share six books in six categories. Jo has a lot of suggestions for categories but you’re free to come up with categories of your own if you would rather. Here goes!
Six books by authors that were new to me:
1. The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
2. The Strays of Paris by Jane Smiley
3. Divided Souls by Toby Clements
4. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
5. Another Little Christmas Murder by Lorna Nichol Morgan
6. Bag and Baggage by Judy Allen
Six crime books:
1. The Man from Occupied France by Anthony Parsons
2. The House on the Hill by John Drummond
3. The Deadly Truth by Helen McCloy
4. Anna, Where Are You? by Patricia Wentworth
5. Another Little Christmas Murder by Lorna Nichol Morgan
6. The Black Book by Ian Rankin
Six books by Scottish authors:
1. The Fascinating Hat by Isabel Cameron
2. The House of the Pelican by Elisabeth Kyle
3. The Gates of Eden by Annie S. Swan
4. Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson
5. The Black Book by Ian Rankin
6. Personality by Andrew O’Hagan
Six historical fiction books:
1. The Last Protector by Andrew Taylor
2. The Royal Secret by Andrew Taylor
3. The Grove of Eagles by Winston Graham
4. Light Over London by Julia Kelly
5. The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
6. Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
Six books written for children/YA:
1. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
2. Pinnochio by Carlo Collodi
3. An Edinburgh Reel by Iona McGregor
4. Hitty – Her First 100 Years by Rachel Field
5. The Spanish Letters by Mollie Hunter
6. White Boots by Noel Streatfeild
Six books that were favourites:
1. The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
2. The Masterpiece by Emile Zola
3. The Wind Off the Small Isles by Mary Stewart
4. High Wages by Dorothy Whipple
5. The Last Protector by Andrew Taylor
6. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
I could have chosen more than six books in all of these categories, it has been a good reading year so far with just a few duffers read. One of the many great things about reading book blogs is that the book recommendations by fellow bloggers mean that it’s rare for me to waste time reading books that I don’t enjoy. The last one ‘Julia’ that I really didn’t like was completely my own fault for choosing it because of the title.
I really enjoyed looking back over the books that I read over the first six months of the year. It has reminded me that I should read more classics, more books in translation – and more non-fiction as I wasn’t able to gather up six books in any of those categories, I only got as far as five!
Well done, especially for getting six Scottish books – I failed on that one this year to my shame! It’s a great way to see patterns in our reading, isn’t it, and to see what we *should* be reading more of…
FictionFan,
I was so surprised that I couldn’t scrape up any more than 5 vintage crime books and 5 non-fiction books, it felt like more somehow!
This requires me to have read 36 books which I haven’t done! Nearly, but not quite! I reckon I would need way more than 36 books to fit them all into 6 categories as there will always be outliers.
Whispering Gums,
I believe that you can use the same book in different categories so reading 36 isn’t strictly necessary, I had a ‘doubler’ in my favourite reads list I think. I could have had a category – Six books I can hardly remember reading!
Please feel free to join in even if it is only sharing 6 of your favourite books of the year so far.
I think this is a great way to look back at the first half of the year. My post is scheduled for later this week – I was pleasantly surprised to find that I’ve read six non-fiction books, but disappointed that I haven’t read six classics!
Helen,
I could only scrape up five non-fiction books – must do better! It has not been a great year for me classics wise too. I didn’t even manage to finish my Classics spin book – first time ever!
Thanks for joining in. Great selection and you have reminded me I need to seek out Noel Streatfield, I never read any as a child.
Jo,
I’ve really enjoyed it. I didn’t read any Streatfeild books as a child, I’m just filling in my many gaps in children’s books.