Sixes: a Selection from the last Six Months of Reading

Published on by Margaret

Jo at The Book Jotter started this meme last year to summarise six months of reading, sorting the books into six categories and she’s done it again this year. Here is my version for 2013, with links to my posts on the books where appropriate:

Six books I have enjoyed, not including Crime Fiction:

Wild Swans etc

  1. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (non-fiction)
  2. The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell
  3. The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
  4. After Flodden by Rosemary Goring
  5. Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
  6. The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland

Six Crime Fiction books I’ve enjoyed:

Redemption etc

  1. The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by Shona MacLean
  2. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves
  3. The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves
  4. The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards
  5. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
  6. Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter by Ruth Rendell

Six authors new to me:

  1.  Roger Deakin – 
  2. Carola Dunn
  3. Julia Stuart
  4. Peter May
  5. Julius Falconer
  6. Patrick Leigh Fermor

Six authors I have read before:

  1. David Lodge
  2. Agatha Christie
  3. J T R R Tolkien
  4. Charles Dickens
  5. Erle Stanley Garner
  6. Kate Morton

Six Books ongoing reading or books on hold, which I’ll be getting back to €¦

 

  1. Charles Dickens: Life by Claire Tomalin
  2. Agatha Christie: an English Mystery by Laura Thompson
  3. Between the Woods and the Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor
  4. The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg
  5. Parade’s End by Ford Madox Ford
  6. Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser

Six books that were not as good as I’d expected:

  1. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
  2. Airs and Graces by Erica James
  3. Small Kindnesses by Fiona Robyn
  4. The Daughters of Fire by Barbara Erskine
  5. The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris
  6. Peaches for Monsieur Le Curé by Joanne Harris

13 thoughts on “Sixes: a Selection from the last Six Months of Reading”

  1. Glad you have joined in for a second year!

    I have spotted some books I must read that you have read already this year! There is not enough time!

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  2. Wow, I thought we had similar tastes, and yet I’ve only coincided with your choices 3 times. Great lists. You read a lot. I’m always being accused of that.

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  4. I like this meme–we’re near the midpoint of the year and I feel like taking stock myself. It’s always interesting to look back and see what lived up to expectations and what didn’t.

    Now that you didn’t like The Lacuna, I’m curious to know whether you’ll be giving Flight Behavior a try. I liked both, but it could be that I just really like the way Kingsolver writes.

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    1. Jane, I thought The Lacuna began and ended well, with good descriptions and fascinating characters, but I got bored several times in the middle. It’s well written and researched but for me it was a bit flat.

      I still haven’t decided whether to read Flight Bahaviour. I’ve read both good and bad reviews of it. I see you’ve just written about it on your blog – and that you listened to an audio version. I like that idea, so I’m adding Flight Behaviour to my list.

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  5. What a huge variety of reading you seem to be doing! Some beautiful titles there, which I have also greatly enjoyed. May I ask why you have 6 books on hold/getting back to them? I remember believing I was Mary Queen of Scots after I read Antonia Fraser’s biography of her.

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    1. Marina, six books do seem a lot! but I like to alternate reading fiction and non-fiction and so am part way through each of the biographies, Dickens, Christie and Mary Queen of Scots. I don’t have any problem with picking up where I left off reading with any of those books and they are ongoing reading.

      I began Parade’s End ages ago – when it was on TV – at the same time as I was reading other books, and decided that I needed to finish those first. I’ll have to start again with this book.

      I began Between the Woods and the Water straight after reading A Time of Gifts by the same author and also decided to finish other books first.

      And The Drowning is also ongoing reading, alternating with the biographies.

      And there are other books that I’ve dipped into and put to one side for later on. I just can’t stick to reading just one book at a time. But really it’s only like watching different series and serials on TV and I don’t find it difficult to keep track.

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  6. This looks like fun! Will do it too, Margaret! I have an O’Farrell book I’m looking forward to reading soon and I too am very slowly reading Fraser’s Mary Queen of Scots. I’m finding many new authors for myself on your blog!

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  7. Margaret – I hadn’t known of this meme before – what a terrific idea. I’m impressed with the variety of books that you’ve read too. I must say of the ones I’ve read, I agree they were enjoyable. And you’ve reminded me that I’ve been wanting to read After Flodden and still haven’t (yet) done so. *Sigh*…

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