Welcome to my Autumn Reading List! I had great success with the
Summer version so I hope that this list motivates me through towards the
end of the year. The idea is to pick a big pile of books that I want to
read as priority, scattered over various genres. This time I'm
focusing a lot on horror and SF as I have two big challenges for that
coming up in October and November. I'm also trying to get a pile of
series finished before the year ends, finishing up a few challenges and
fitting in a few other genres for fun.
From September 1st to December 31st, I'll try to read as many of them
as I can. I'm choosing 100 books for the three month reading period of
autumn and for December to round off my reading year so I can start a
new Winter Reading List in January! Anyone who wants to join in with
this is welcome!
Series Catchup
1) DD Barant-Dying Bites
2) DD Barant-Death Blows
3) DD Barrant-Killing Rocks
4) DD Barant-Better Off Undead
5) DD Barant-Back From The Undead
6) DD Barant-Undead To The World
1) Kelly Meding-Three Days To Dead
2) Kelly Meding-As Lie The Dead
3) Kelly Meding-Another Kind Of Dead
4) Kelly Meding-Wrong Side Of Dead
5) Kelly Meding-Requiem For The Dead
6) Kelly Meding-The Night Before Dead
1) MLN Hanover-Unclean Spirits
2) MLN Hanover-Darker Angels
3) MLN Hanover-Vicious Grace
4) MLN Hanover-Killing Rites
5) MLN Hanover-Graveyard Child
1) Rhiannon Frater-The Last Mission of the Living
2) Rhiannon Frater-Escape To The Last Bastion
1) Michael Stephen Fuchs-Carnage
2) Michael Stephen Fuchs-The Siege
3) Michael Stephen Fuchs-Endgame
4) Michael Stephen Fuchs-Odyssey
1) Nicholas Sansbury Smith-Extinction Red Line
2) Nicholas Sansbury Smith-Extinction Shadow
1) Kevin Hearne-Scourged
2) Eli Constant-Dead Trees 2
3) Ryan Graudin-Blood For Blood
4) Linda Zimmermann-HVZA 2
Spooky Booky Month!
1) John Skipp-Fright Night (read)
2) John Steakley-Vampire$
3) Cameron Roubique-Kill River
4) Ezekiel Boone-The Hatching
5) Gerry Griffiths-Terror Mountain
6) Russell James-Curse of the Viper King
7) Jeff Menapace-Bad Games
8) Michael F Haspil-Graveyard Shift
9) Paul Tremblay-The Cabin at the end of the World (DNF)
10) Jason Parent-They Feed
11) Peter Tremayne-The Morgow Rises (DNF)
12) Hunter Shea-The Dover Demon
13) Kyle Alexander Romines-A Sound In The Dark
14) James Sabata-Fat Camp
15) Lee Mountford-Horror in the Woods
16) John Passarella-Halloween
17) Richard Laymon-Amara
18) Richard Laymon-Night in the Lonesome October
19) Russell James-Sacrifice
20) Jack Kilborn-Haunted House
SF/Dystopian
1) Pierce Brown-Red Rising
2) Ernest Cline-Armada
3) Nicholas Sansbury Smith-Trackers
4) Nicholas Sansbury Smith-Hell Divers
5) Rob Boffard-Adrift
6) Becky Chambers-The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
7) Andy Weir-The Martian
8) Mark Lawrence-One Word Kill
9) Richard Herley-The Penal Colony
10) RR Haywood-Extracted
11) Kenneth Johnson-V
Fantasy Fling!
1) Brian McClellan-Promise Of Blood
2) Meg Collett-Fear University
3) Michael J Sullivan-The Crown Tower
Thriller Chiller
1) CJ Tudor-The Hiding Place
2) Mae Clair-A Thousand Yesteryears
3) Erica Ferencik-The River At Night
4) JA Konrath-The List
5) Belinda Bauer-Snap (DNF)
Apocalypse Angst! (COMPLETED!)
1) Mike Kraus-Final Dawn (DNF)
2) Mike Kraus-No Sanctuary (DNF)
3) Jack Hunt-Darkest Hour (DNF)
4) Jack Hunt-As We Fall (DNF)
5) Jack Hunt-Blackout (DNF)
6) John J Vance-Death (DNF)
7) JR Tate-Breakdown (read)
Non Fiction
1) Chris Bonington-I Chose To Climb (read)
2) Chris Bonington-The Next Horizon (read)
3) Michael Wolff-Fire and Fury
4) Lyle Blackburn-The Beast Of Boggy Creek (read)
5) Jeremy Thompson-Breaking News
6) Michael Heseltine-Life In The Jungle
7) Ant Middleton-First Man In
8) Alex MacCormick-Shark Attacks (read)
Zombies!
1) Eli Constant-Awakening (read)
2) Samie Sands-Lockdown (DNF)
3) AJ Sikes-Emergence
4) David A Simpson-Convoy of Carnage
5) Adrian J Smith-The Rule of Three
6) Madeleine Roux-Sadie Walker Is Stranded (DNF)
7) Keith RA DeCandido-Resident Evil Extinction
8) Jeff DeGordick-The Fall Of Man
9) John L Campbell-Omega Days
Dinosaurs!
1) Greig Beck-Primordia 3
2) Russ Elliott-Vengeance From The Deep
3) Jonah Buck-Carrion Scourge
4) CG Mosley-The Island in the Mist
Author Alphabet Challenge
Q) Spencer Quinn-Dog On It
U) Shaun Underhill-Survive (read)
Y) Michael Yowell-Sliggers (read)
Z) Joseph Zuko-Jim's First Day (read)
Chuckles has been AWOL again for a fair part of this week. It seems that stress enjoys my life too much to let me catch a break at the moment! This time it was a battle with our bank. For weeks they have been harrassing my dad for not filling out self assessment tax forms, US tax declarations and details about his income in overseas bank accounts. This week he was at the bank three times to fight with them about this nonsense.
First my dad is a UK citizen, has never even visited the US and is most definitely not a US citizen or business owner so US tax declarations have nothing to do with him. He has never owned or run his own business either and has been retired since 1999 so why they are demanding self assessment tax forms to be filled out is beyond me. He has never had an offshore/overseas account in his life! It took until Friday until they finally admitted that all bank customers are being asked to confirm their details and all he had to do was date and sign a form that delares he is a UK citizen with no contact with US authorities-a form they never sent him or told him about. The stress of threats about court and the tax people interviewing him have made both of us ill this week. Finally it is sorted out but the damage was done on us this week and both of us feel like crap. It was not a good week.
Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know why I haven't been greatly active and that I'll catch up with everyone over the weekend.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to
feature some of those neglected
books sitting on your bookshelf. You might
be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Go to
Carole's blog and add your blog post link in to join in the fun! Hosted
by Carole at https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.co.uk/
This seems
like a fun feature and I have been planning to take part since Carole
launched this so at last, here we go! I have a TON of unread books to
choose from in various genres and I'm looking forward to sharing some of
them with everybody.
When civilization ends -
When hundreds of millions of the dead return to eat the living - How
will the remaining humans survive?
One week ago there were over
300 million people living in America. Today there are less than 5000.
After a man-made plague destroys the population cities burn, and the
government crumbles when the dead come back to life as flesh-hungry
zombies. Wim, a 30-year-old farmer, purposely kept himself cut off from
other people, but when the undead arrive at his farm, intent on eating
him, he’s forced to venture out into the land around him and fight to
save a world on which he long ago turned his back. Survivors from all
walks of life - criminals and fry cooks, teenagers and soldiers - battle
to survive zombies and each other as mankind races toward extinction.
I've seen Tony Urban's books around a lot but have never read anything of his. I'm a sucker for zombie books so I figured this was a good place to start. my only concern was a review that said there are 16 MC POV's which seems like quite a lot! I'll see how I get on when I read it. It was added to my TBR in February 2017.
Written by world-reknowned historical novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes, My Lady of Cleves
gives readers an intimate portrait of the warm, unpretentious princess
who never expected to become Queen of England. Knowing the king's
ravenous desire for a son, and aware of the disastrous consequences of
not bearing an heir, Anne of Cleves bravely took on the duty of
weathering the Tudor King's temper, whims, arrogance, and irresponsible
passions--and won the hearts of his subjects in the process.
A treat for readers of Tudor fiction and those fascinated by the complex relationships of Henry VIII and his wives, My Lady of Cleves leads readers into a world of high drama and courtly elegance.
My Review:
I actually have the different older styled cover on a mass market paperback version of the book which doesn't fit with the rest of the modern cover larger size paperbacks of her other books which I have. So now I've read and liked this, I'm buying this version to fit on my shelves better!
Anna lives with her family on their estate, the middle daughter, helping her brother to run things and doing everything she can to help the people of the area, making her very popular. Attention has mainly been on her prettier sisters so when Cromwell persuades Henry VIII to take a Cleves bride for political reasons, everyone expects Amelia to be chosen. Henry sends trusted Court painter Hans Holbein to do portaits of the sisters and an unexpected meeting with Anna convinces Hans that she would be the better choice than her vain giddy sister, and does a portrait designed to win her the prize. However, once in England, factions opposed to this political marriage are determined to put an end to it and Anna finds herself as a discarded and unwanted bride.
I loved the portrayal of Anne of Cleves in this book. She is presented as a happy and cheerful young woman, happy to help run the estate and look after the people. She is without vanity or ambition, aware that she lacks beauty and content at the prospect of a good marriage and children, and the chance to run her own estate if she has to leave her family behind. Being suddenly chosen to be Henry's next Queen is a bit of a shock and she is determined to rise to the challenge and be a good wife, mother and Queen. In spite of all the cruelty the Court inflicts on her, she faces it all with dignity and a smile, trying everything she can to change Henry's mind about her yet being sensible enough to accept when it is over and accept a good divorce deal. Without the stress of being married to Henry, Anne embraces her popularity at Court and her freedom, while lamenting the loss of being able to marry and have children. She is a good person and I felt sorry for her throughout the book.
Henry falls in love with the flattering portrait by Holbein and rushes to meet Anne when she arrives in England, taking her by surprise. This novel has the Duchess of Norfolk and Lady Rochford ensuring that Anne looks her very worst for the meeting with Henry which happens a day earlier than she expects. Being taken by surprise, Anne is flustered and forgets her charm and humour, not impressing Henry at all and he rages at Cromwell to get him out of the betrothal. Henry and those around him all find that they like Anne as a person but Henry is not attracted to her and wants to marry Katherine Howard instead so a divorce must be found. I found the various aspects of Henry's relationship with Anne interesting-the cold indifference, the grudging respect and the way he starts to see the great qualities that Holbein did but only after it was too late for things to work between them. I loved seeing these complex aspects written about in detail and I enjoyed all the twists and turns.
The other interesting aspect of the book is having Anne and Holbein feeling a shared attraction throughout the book but it is never able to progress beyond words due to circumstances. Anne shares her thoughts and fears with Holbein who tries to guide her through all the problems of Court, trying to translate for her and warn her about Court politics. He seems to really care for her and there is an opportunity for them to sleep together in Calais but it does not happen because Anne is on her way to marry Henry. They keep a close friendship and at times is the one bright spot in her life. But are they doomed to forever have circumstances keep them apart? I liked seeing more of the much loved Holbein who is often mentioned in Tudor novels but never takes a starring role. It was fun to have him as a main character for once.
I also enjoyed seeing the relationships that Anne cultivated with others at Court. Her discussions with Cranmer were interesting as he tries to advise her on winning Henry back from Katherine in order to save his friend Cromwell from execution, as well as ensure her own future. I liked the friendship that Anne has with Katherine despite the younger girl 'stealing' her husband. This book explores Anne knowing that Katherine is cheating on Henry with Thomas Culpepper and finding herself getting involved in the deception. This was another interesting plot choice and I enjoyed seeing how it all developed. Thomas confides in Anne who is alarmed at what will happen if Henry finds out and feels sympathy for the young lovers unable to be together because of the ambition of the Duke of Norfolk. Anne is a character that others feel comfortable confiding in so there are lots of interesting conversations.
The book also covers the relationships that Anne has with Henry's children and the realisation that with the terms of the divorce, she will never have her own kids. Being close to the Catholic Mary is a challenge because of religious differences but Anne has real empathy for everything Mary has suffered. Her relationship with Elizabeth is also close, trying to be a substitute mother to the young girl.
When I was first told about the Tudor books written by authors in the forties and fifties, I figured they would be dull and over-descriptive. However, instead I found that both Jean Plaidy and Margaret Campbell Barnes are great at writing characters you care about and really making the reader feel that they are there at the Tudor Court. Barnes takes the lesser known characters from the Tudor world and brings them to the fore, and gives a whole new look at the ones we know well. She really brings the Court to life. I've enjoyed all the books of hers that I've read and look forward to reading the rest.
Read August 2019.
4 stars.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish
in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of
2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to
bring bookish friends together. http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/
NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by
Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave
comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my
profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.
Nice easy one this week. These books are on my reading list for autumn!
1) Alex MacCormick-Shark Attacks
I've always been fascinated by sharks since I first watched Jaws and I always watch When Sharks Attack on TV. I found this book which tells the story of hundreds of real shark attacks around the world. I'll be reading this one over a period of weeks in amongst a few fiction books just to dilute the horror a bit...
2) Kelly Meding-Dreg City
This is one of three full series that I want to get read before the year ends along with MLN Hanover and DD Barant. These books have been on my shelves forever and it'll be nice to get these three urban fantasy series done and dusted!
3) John Skipp-Fright Night
I love the original film ('you have to have faith!') and was pleased to get an ebook copy of this. I might have read it years back but if I did I don't remember, and that is a good excuse to set it by for October and Spooky Booky month!
4) Nicholas Sansbury Smith-Hell Divers
I keep selecting it and then putting it off for some reason but I need to read it by the end of the year. Last year there was a big SF challenge in November so I'll save this for then and maybe get a chance to join in if it is on again.
5) Mae Clair-A Thousand Yesteryears
The Mothman fascinates me and I was attracted to this book. It opens with the Silver Bridge collapse which had me gripped when I read the sample, and I rushed out to buy this in paperback. I haven't tried the author before but I look forward to it.
6) Michael Stephen Fuchs-Arisen
The best zombie series EVER! I've read the first 11 books and two prequels so I still have a companion novel and the final three books to read. I've put them off coz I don't want the series to be finished!!! There are rumours of more companion or prequels which is exciting!
7) Kevin Hearne-Scourged
It's the final book of the series and I keep putting it off as I'm afraid for the final battle and worried about Oberon! I do need to get it read before the year finishes.
8) Brian McClellan-Promise of Blood
I've very much enjoyed the short stories set in the Powder Mage world so now it is time to delve into the first book in the series and see if I enjoy it as much. I already know a few of the characters which should help me!
9) Nicholas Sansbury Smith & Friends-Extinction Cycle
I have the prequel to read and then he published fan fiction stories set in the Extinction world, which was something different, and now he has started a new Extinction series set about a decade later! I'm so excited I can't even!!!
10) Eli Constant-Dead Trees 2
I loved the first book and was all ready for the second when it came out but a family issue put me off reading it at the time. Somehow I never got round to it but I want to get it read this autumn, hopefully for Spooky Booky Month!
