Category: Booking through Thursday

Rolling – Booking Through Thursday

Published on by Margaret6 Comments

Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?
I don’™t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that’¦ Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors’¦

I suppose my immediate answer to this is yes, very often. I do like to read another book by an author when I’ve enjoyed one – but that’s not the question. Books in the same genre are also easy to think of – I took part in the R.I.P. Challenge, so that was all books with themes of mystery and imagination – I like those, not gory or horrific but books that keep you guessing and make you ponder. I like to vary my reading as well, so I do try to pick different types of books and different authors, ones I’ve never read before as well as old favourites.

But to answer the question, recently I find that some books I’ve read have a 1940s theme. I’m thinking of One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes, set in England in 1946 just after the Second World War, Playing with the Moon by Eliza Graham lokking back after 60 years to the 1940s and The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning, set in Bucharest in 1939/1940 at the outbreak of the War. Even Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner fits in with that time and Surveillance by Jonathan Raban looks back to the 1940s as Augie writes about his wartime experiences as a refugee from Germany.
When I decided to read these books I had no idea that they were all linked like this.

Connecting Words Booking Through Thursday

Published on by Margaret7 Comments

Okay, today’™s question is going to be a little different. First, I’™m posting it early because Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and I’™m going to be busy making and eating turkey as I’™m sure some of you will also be, so I want to give everyone time to play. And two, because I’™m basically going to link you through to somebody else’™s blog with a question that I thought was pretty interesting.

Joanna and Brad are asking about ‘œconnecting words,’ and they don’™t mean conjunctions like ‘œand’ or ‘œbut.’ No, what they’™re looking for are unique, or treasured words that we’™ve found out and about in our daily travels, words that might not be common usage, or often heard, but which struck a chord for some reason.
This is unorthodox, of course, but here’™s the thing: if you link back to Joanna’™s post (which is where the rules are written), you’™re eligible to win a prize. Not to mention joining in some great conversation about interesting words.

I’m not sure that I’ve understood what “connecting words” are. I’m struggling to think of words that are unique or treasured etc or words that may not be in common usage as well. I don’t know how common these words are, but in the northwest of England where I’m from originally people use words such as “mither”, eg “don’t mither me” meaning don’t bother/pester me and another one is “mardy” eg You’re such a mardy” meaning you’re so soft and weak, pathetic.

A word that I like just now is “pooter” as that’s what my grandson used to call the computer before he could say the whole word. I use it regularly, eg “I’m going to use the pooter now”.

Preservatives Booking Through Thursday

Published on by Margaret14 Comments

Today’™s question comes from Conspiracy-Girl:

I’™m still relatively new to this meme so I’™m not sure if this has been asked yet, but I’™m curious how many of us write notes in our books. Are you a Footprint Leaver or a Preservationist?

I’m a Preservationist who occasionally leaves Footprints. At one time I would never, ever write notes in a book. It was considered a desecration. I’m a bit less strict these days and occasionally bring myself to underline in pencil or add a little asterisk next to a passage I like.

Having said that when I looked at my copy of Reformation Europe 1517 -1559, which which I was given as a prize at school one year I see that I have underlined sentences in red biro. I can’t believe I did that!

Volume – Booking Through Thursday – on Friday

Published on by Margaret3 Comments

Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger? More? Less?Why?
Deb was late posting this because she took Monday and Tuesday off for her birthday and then completely lost track of what day it was. I’m late posting too, because yesterday was our wedding anniversary and I had a very self-indulgent day. I had my nails and hair done and we went out for a meal last night.
Anyway, I’ve certainly read a lot more this year than last year and the reason is that I left work in April and can now spend time during the day to read. Before I just had time to squeeze in half an hour at lunch time some days. I always take a book with me when I’m out in case there’s an opportunity to read. When I was at work I had to wait so long for the lift I’d sometimes get out my book and read for a few minutes. So it really is luxurious to be able to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and have a good long read.
As to when I was younger, I really only have an impression of how many books I read. I did keep a record when I was about 10 but I don’t have the list any more. I just read as many books as I could.It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve been more organised in my reading. I started to keep a list of books I’ve read in 2002 but at first I didn’t record everything, sometimes I just wanted to get on to the next book, so my records up to 2006 are a guide really, showing the tip of the iceberg. from January 2006 I’ve noted all the books I’ve read in a little Book Journal.

Oh, Horror! Booking Through Thursday

Published on by Margaret10 Comments

What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping?
I thought about asking you about whether you were participating in NaNoWriMo, but I asked that last year. Although . . . if you want to answer that one, too, please feel free to go ahead and do both, or either, your choice!
It is easy for me to answer the first question in one word – “yes”. In a few more words – as I joined the R.I.P. Challenge I’ve been reading more “horror” stories than I normally do and I’ve written about them in several other posts in September and October. I think the one that I enjoyed for the Challenge the most was Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott which I wrote about here. Another book that sent shivers down my back was Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert – see my review here.
My answer to the second question is no, I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo. I didn’t know what that is so I checked Debbie’s link and found that this is yet another challenge’“where lots of marginally crazy people try to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. What do you think about that idea? Crazy? Inspired? Challenging?
Would you/Have you tried it yourself? In other years? (Or this one, in which case, shouldn’™t you be writing and not reading blogs?).
Mmm. An interesting idea – I don’t know if I have enough time to do this – maybe?

Booking Through Thursday – Read with Abandon?

Published on by Margaret11 Comments


Today’™s suggestion is from Cereal Box Reader

I would enjoy reading a meme about people’™s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’™t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?

There are only a few books that I’ve abandoned recently, although there have been quite a few that I’ve taken back to the library unread. That’s not because I’ve abandoned them, but because they’ve been due back and I haven’t even started them. My eyes are always optimistic in the library, or greedy may be a better description and I nearly always come home with more books than I can possibly read during the loan period.

There was one library book I did completely abandon completely and that was Female of the Species by Joyce Carol Oates, a book of short stories that I just couldn’t read as the first couple were too nasty.

Another book I’ve started but not finished is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, because I kept starting it and putting it down; frankly I found it just a bit boring. Maybe I’ll have another go sometime as I know that other people think it’s a good book, but it’s not on my radar right now.

Mostly the books that I’ve started but not finished are those that are long and detailed, like Claire Tomalin’s biography of Thomas Hardy. I don’t consider that I’ve abandoned it because I do intend finishing it, but not just yet because I want to read more of Hardy’s own books first. I’ll go back to it and probably have to start it again.

I’ve also started to read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie and although I’ve stopped I certainly haven’t abandoned it – it looks just the sort of book that I enjoy – it’s because I’ve been reading other books, in particular The Verneys by Adrian Tinniswood, which is a library copy and was due back a few days ago. I can’t renew it as lots of people have reserved it. It’s a great book – a post on it is in progress.