QuestingA reads books already owned 2020

New books: 74
Books from sister: 29
Books borrowed from the library: 3
Total new books: 106
Updated: 31 December

Books read: 69

1. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

I inherited this from my sister, who read it for her book club. A lovely read.

Happy ROOTing!

Welcome back and have a great reading year!

Welcome to the 2020 ROOTers, Happy Reading.

Good luck with your reading this year. I've heard lots of good things about The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

Thanks everyone! Good luck to you too!

>6 Jackie_K: Jackie_K I will happily add to the good things said about The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. It was an enjoyable and thoughtful read. I have the sequel A Closed and Common Orbit, which I plan to read this year.

Happy ROOTing in 2020!

>8 mstrust: mstrust - thanks! You too.

2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

I picked this up in December last year, for January's book club. I thought I'd enjoy it, and I did. Now I need to think about it for a bit.

Hope your reading is all good!

>10 cyderry: cyderry Thanks! Good luck and happy reading to you too!

3. Speak Gigantular by Irenosen Okojie

I've been reading this book of short stories for over a year; finished it today. Can't say I understood what was going on in many of the stories.

4. The Christmas Egg: A Seasonal Mystery by Mary Kelly

5. Don't Point That Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli

I've owned this for a couple of years. Although slim, I kept putting off reading it because of the small print. It was quite good. I had to keep Google'ing words and names, so I feel I've learnt some stuff, which I enjoy.

I've had this on the shelf for a year or two and need to get to it this year. I'm glad you liked it.

6. The Case for God by Karen Armstrong

I've owned this, I think, for about four or so years. It took a very long time to read, mostly because I had limited time to dedicate to it. That changed when we all came inside. It was very good and I enjoyed it.

7. Murder in the Bookshop by Carolyn Wells

I got this for New Years 2018/19. It's a Collins Crime Club reprint, and has an attractive cover. The mystery was good but the telling was poor. The characters contradicted themselves, the narrator gave misleading or inaccurate information, the dialogue was sometimes too verbose and difficult to follow and bits of the story weren't explained at the end. Still, it was a nice cosy mystery.

8. The Dream Maker by Jean-Christophe Rufin, translated by Alison Anderson

I've had this several years. Think I got it from the Library shop sale. It's a fictionalised biography of Jacques Coeur, a merchant and financier in 15th century France. It was interesting and an easy read.

9. The Mystery at Stowe by Vernon Loder

Not sure how long I've had this. Less than five years. It wasn't bad, but I'd've enjoyed it more if more of the suspects had had motives.

10. Frost Fair by Edward Marston

I liked this better than the two Railway Detective stories I've read. Perhaps they were written earlier and Edward Marston has improved. A good mystery, although the back cover told me the body had been found naked. I was increasingly annoyed during the second half of the book because this wasn't being explained or investigated. When I re-read the part where they found fhe body there was no mention of it being undressed. I've updated the back cover.

Picked this up in 2018 at a stall oustide a church in a small village.

11. Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

I bought this last year. A reimagining of the origins of the sea witch in the littlest mermaid. I thought it was very good.

12. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin

Think I've only had this a year or two. The second Edmund Crispin mystery I've read. It was very enjoyable, but I'm not convinced by the solution.

13. Wonders Will Never Cease by Robert Irwin

I picked this up in Nov 2017. Very interesting book about stories, endings, life and fate.

14. Enchanted Desire by Marylyle Rogers

A reread as this belongs to my teenage years.

Hi, QA, How are you holding on? I hope you are al right.

Hi connie53, I'm ok thanks. Hope you're also ok.

15. The Last Best Friend by George Sims

I've had this probably aince 2017. Not as good as I'd hoped it would be.

>27 connie53: I'm still fine. I stay at home most of the time and I'm so grateful for my garden. We had a summer-like week last week and there is nothing more comforting than reading in the garden in the sun.

16. The Traitor by Sydney Horler

Hi connie53, we've been inside for 8 weeks! Working from home though, so I'm not getting as much reading done as I'd hoped when this all began. Glad you're ok and enjoying your garden.

17. elephants in the bush: and other Yamatji Yarns by Clarrie Cameron

I got this in September 2013 and it was quite expensive, from the publishers shop in Broome. Not very impressed with them. They were Dad tales.

18. The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth

I got this in Salzburg in 2017 during a visit to the Xmas markets with my book group. It was very good.

19. The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach

I bought this at the same time as The Radetzky March (see #18). It wasn't great.

20. A Surfeit of Suspects by George Bellairs

A British Library crime classic that came out last year.

>33 QuestingA: My library ordered an electronic copy of this and about a dozen other British Library Crime Classics. They have made good pandemic reading :)

>34 rabbitprincess: hi! Hope you enjoy it, and all the others you ordered. I thought it was pretty good. They're certainly cosy reads. I've also just read another:

21. Death in Fancy Dress by Anthony Gilbert

This also came out last year.

22. Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher, translated by Niall Sellar

I bought this last year while on holiday in Berlin. We're reading in my book group this month.

23. Murder in the Mill-Race by E.C.R Lorac

Another British Crime Classic, this one published last year. It was good. I'm only slightly miffed that a number of potential suspects were mentioned early on, and I tried to memorise their names, only for them not to appear again in any substantive way.

24. Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards

I bought this book in 2018. Working my way through the crime classics! This was an enjoyable collection.

Good to see you have past the half way point. Great job.

>39 connie53: connie53: Thanks Connie! It's taken me a while to read the next one though!

25. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I've owned this, I think, for about 5 years. Glad I've read it now.

26. Fly Away Home Stories by Marina Warner

I've owned this for three, maybe more, years. I expected the stories to be more interesting, but maybe I'm missing something. I'm a fan of her non fiction.

27. The Outsider by Albert Camus and edited by Joseph Laredo

According to the receipt I bought this in August 2017. So its been on the shelf for only three years.

28. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

This has been on the pile since 2017. It was very good and I'm pleased I read it.

29. Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace

This was pretty good. I've owned it a few years.

30. Deep Waters: Mysteries on the Waves edited by Martin Edwards

I bought this last year. Another good anthology.

>45 QuestingA: I really liked the C. S. Forester and Christopher St. John Sprigg stories in that collection.

>46 rabbitprincess: Hi rabbitprincess: they were among my favourites too. It's a good anthology.

31. Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain by Robert Verkaik

Pretty sure I got this in December last year. Well written and easy to read.

32. The Body in the Dumb River: A Yorkshire Mystery by George Bellairs

Bought this last year.

33. Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez

34. Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings edited by Tanya Kirk

This has only been on the pile since 2018. Very enjoyable, especially The Curse of the Catafalques by F. Anstey, even though it wasn't really a ghost story.

35. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I think I picked this up two years ago. I was curious to know what these popular books were like. Now I know.

And that's my target reached! Not sure I'd've made it if I hadn't read so much this year.

>52 QuestingA: Congrats on reaching your goal!

>53 rabbitprincess: thanks rabbitprincess!! I wasn't sure I'd do it this year because I joined two new book groups, which added a whole heap of new books to the mix and distracted me from the tbr pile. Merry Xmas to you!

Happy Holidays from the Netherlands!

And congrats on reaching your goal

>55 connie53: thanks Connie!! Merry Xmas to you and your family.

36. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

A re-read. From the looks of it I've had this for over 20 years.

37. It Walks by Night: A Paris Mystery by John Dickson Carr

I bought this last year.