CDVicarage (Kerry) is here for the ninth year.

I'm Kerry and I live in rural Cheshire with my husband, Jon, and cat, Kevin, in a lovely converted stable block which is the Rectory. The Old Rectory, which is next door, could feature in a Jane Austen TV adaptation, and I'm quite jealous until I remember that it would be no fun to clean a house with twelve bedrooms and half a dozen or so reception rooms.

I've never had any trouble reading 75 books in a year and I hope I shall be successful this year.

This was last year's introduction and things haven't really changed much, except we're all a year older.

January

1. Althea Joins the Chalet School, 1st January
2. Jane Austen At Home, 2nd January
3. The Cactus, 3rd January
4. Prefects of the Chalet School, 4th January
5. Images of Christmas, 5th January
6. Nothing to Report, 6th January
7. The Reluctant Widow, read by Cornelius Garrett, 7th January
8. The Salt Path, 9th January
9. New Beginnings at the Chalet School, 9th January
10. Why is nothing ever simple?, read by Zara Ramm, 10th January
11. The Chalet School Librarian, 11th January
12. Autumn Term, 13th January
13. The Marlows and the Traitor, 15th January
14. Love Lettering, 17th January
15. Charlotte Fairlie, read by Hilary Neville, 21st January
16. Miss Carter and the Ifrit, 24th January
17. The Bertrams, 27th January
18. The Doll's House and other stories, 28th January ROOT
19. The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life, 30th January ROOT
20. The Long Call, 31st January
21. Lillian's Story, 31st January ROOT

February

22. Sorry for the Dead, read by Sandra Duncan, 1st February
23. Murder Most Unladylike, 5th February
24. Still Waters, 7th February
25. Closed Circles, 9th February
26. Guiltless, 10th February
27. Tonight You're Dead, 13th February
28. In the Heat of the Moment, 14th February
29. Arabella, read by Phyllida Nash, 14th February
30. The Stranger Diaries, 17th February
31. Emma, read by Juliet Stevenson, 17th February
32. A Peaceful Retirement, read by Sian Phillips, 18th February
33. The Manor House Murder, 19th February
34. The Lantern Men, 19th February
35. Her Revolution, 22nd February
36. Good Omens, 24th February
37. In Harm's Way, 25th February
38. In the Shadow of Power, 26th February

March

39. 44 Scotland Street, read by Hilary Neville, 1st March
40. Rubbernecker, 1st March
41. The Scribbler No. 13 November 2019: A retrospective literary review, 1st March
42. Kind Hearts and Coronets, 4th March
43. Doing Time, read by Zara Ramm, 8th March
44. The Body in the Beck, 10th March
45. The Dream Dog, 11th March ROOT
46. And Be a Villain, 13th March
47. Long Shadows, 14th March
48. Slightly Foxed 62: One Man and his Pigs, 14th March
49. All is Discovered, 16th March
50. Espresso Tales, read by Hilary Neville, 22nd March
51. Crazy Rich Asians, 23rd March
52. Just One Damned Thing After Another, read by Zara Ramm, 28th March
53. Last Orders, 29th March ROOT
54. A Symphony of Echoes, read by Zara Ramm, 29th March
55. A Second Chance, read by Zara Ramm, 31st March

April

56. A Trail Through Time, 1st April
57. No Time Like the Past, read by Zara Ramm, 3rd April
58. What Could Possibly Go wrong?, read by Zara Ramm, 5th April
59. Lies, Damned Lies and History, read by Zara Ramm, 6th April
60. And the Rest is History, read by Zara Ramm, 8th April
61. An Argumentation of Historians, read by Zara Ramm, 10th April
62. Love Over Scotland, read by Hilary Neville, 12th April
63. Hope for the Best, read by Zara Ramm, 12th April
64. Blue Remembered Hills, 12th April ROOT
65. All We Shall Know, 14th April
66. Plan For the Worst, 16th April
67. The Disorderly Knights, read by David Monteath, 18th April
68. Hillary's Back!, 21st April
69. The World According to Bertie, 23rd April
70. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, read by Stephen Fry, 25th April
71. The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, 26th April
72. Lady of Quality, read by Eve Matheson, 28th April
73. The Importance of Being Seven, 28th April
74. Pawn in Frankincense, read by David Monteath, 29th April

May

75. The Man With a Load of Mischief, 4th May
76. The Woman in White DVD, 5th May
77. If I Never Met You, 7th May
78. Falconer's Lure, 8th May
79. Peter's Room, 9th May
80. The Thuggery Affair, 10th May
81. Bertie Plays the Blues, read by David Rintoul, 11th May
82. The Ready Made Family, 11th May
83. The Woman in White, 12th May
84. The Cricket Term, 13th May
85. The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen, 15th May ROOT
86. The Attic Term, 16th May
87. Run Away Home, 18th May
88. Spring Term, 19th May
89. The Maids of La Rochelle, 21st May
90. Sunshine on Scotland Street, read by David Rintoul, 21st May
91. Seven Scamps, 23rd May
92. Heather Leaves School, 24th May
93. The Ringed Castle, read by David Monteath, 25th May
94. Mapp and Lucia Rise Again, 26th May
95. Slightly Foxed 63: Adrift on the Tides of War, 26th May
96. Somewhere in England, 30th May
97. The Scribbler No. 14 March 2020: A retrospective literary review 30th May

June

98. Slightly Foxed 64: Accepting an Invitation, 1st June
99. The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists, 2nd June
100. American Wife, 6th June ROOT
101. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers, read by David Rintoul, 7th June
102. The Bear and the Nightingale, 9th June
103. The Dark Ship, 10th June ROOT
104. The Rebecca Notebook, 10th June
105. Slightly Foxed 65: Asking the Right Questions, 11th June
106. The Revolving Door of Life, read by David Rintoul, 15th June
107. Spam Tomorrow, 16th June
108. Slightly Foxed 66: Underwater Heaven, 16th June
109. Just One Damned Thing After Another, 18th June
110. A Symphony of Echoes, 19th June
111. When a Child Is Born, 19th June
112. A Second Chance, 20th June
113. Roman Holiday, 20th June
114. A Trail Through Time, 21st June
115. Christmas Present, 21st June
116. No Time Like the Past, 22nd June
117. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, 24th June
118. Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings, 24th June
119. Lies, Damned Lies, and History, 25th June
120. The Great St Mary's Day Out, 25th June
121. My Name is Markham, 26th June
122. Desiccated Water, 26th June
123. And the Rest Is History, 26th June
124. Markham and the Anal Probing, 26th June
125. A Perfect Storm, 26th June
126. Christmas Past, 27th June
127. The Battersea Barricades, 27th June
128. The Bertie Project, read by David Rintoul, 29th June
129. An Argumentation of Historians, 29th June
130. The Steam Pump Jump, 29th June

July

131. Hope For The Best, 1st July
132. When Did You Last See Your Father?, 1st July
133. Why Is Nothing Ever Simple?, 2nd July
134. Plan For the Worst, 3rd July
135. Doing Time, 5th July
136. The Very First Damned Thing, 6th July
137. A Time of Love and Tartan, read by David Rintoul, 7th July
138. Old Filth, 8th July
139. Kipling & Trix, 10th July
140. The Scribbler No. 15 July 2020: A retrospective literary review, 13th July
141. Not at Home, 15th July
142. The Peppermint Tea Chronicles, read by David Rintoul, 17th July
143. A Game of Snakes and Ladders, 20th July
144. All Done By Kindness, 24th July
145. A Single Thread, read by Fenella Woolgar, 28th July
146. Table Two, 28th July
147. Spring Magic, 30th July

August

148. Where the Crawdads Sing, 5th August
149. Northbridge Rectory, 7th August
150. The Corinthian, read by Georgina Sutton, 9th August
151. Picture Miss Seeton, 9th August
152. Now You See Them, 10th August
153. Miss Plum and Miss Penny, 13th August
154. Checkmate, read by David Monteath, 13th August
155. Marling Hall, 15th August
156. Much Dithering, 18th August
157. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, read by Stephen Fry, 19th August
158. Plan for the Worst, read by Zara Ramm, 22nd August
159. Growing Up, 22nd August
160. The Headmistress, 24th August
161. Miss Bunting, 26th August
162. Peace Breaks Out, 30th August
163. Young Anne, 31st August

September

164. Kidnapped, read by David Rintoul, 2nd September
165. Peace, Perfect Peace, 4th September
166. The Garden of Evening Mists, 9th September
167. Learning About Heraldry, 17th September
168. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, read by Stephen Fry, 20th September
169. Slightly Foxed 67: A Separate World Autumn 2020, 24th September
170. Nicola Goes to the Oberland, 25th September
171. Beneath the Visiting Moon, 26th September
172. Queen Lucia, read by Nadia May, 27th September
173. The Talisman Ring, read by Phyllida Nash, 29th September
174. Father, 30th September

October

175. The Musgraves, read by Anne Dover, 1st October
176. Rain: Four Walks in english Weather, 4th October
177. The Nonesuch, read by Eve Matheson, 4th October
178. House of the Glimmering Light, 5th October
179. Ladies in Lavender, read by Harriet Walter, 6th October
180. The Quantum Curators and the Fabergé Egg, 9th October
181. Redshank's Warning, 9th October
182. The Grand Sophy, read by Sarah Woodward, 11th October
183. The Family Holiday, 13th October
184. The Canterville Ghost, read by Rupert Degas, 13th October
185. Hard Time, 15th October
186. The Midnight Library, read by Carey Mulligan, 15th October
187. Cotillion, read by Phyllida Nash, 18th October
188. When Did You Last see Your Father?, read by Zara Ramm, 18th October
189. Mr Standfast, read by Peter Joyce, 26th October
190. Oranges are not the only fruit, read by the author, 27th October
191. Tea is So Intoxicating, 31st October
192. The Scribbler No. 16 November 2020: A retrospective literary review, 31st October

November

193. The Nanny State Made Me, 2nd November
194. One Good Turn, read by Steven Crossley, 3rd November
195. A History of Britain, Volume 1: At the Edge of the World, 3000 BC - AD 1603, read by Timothy West, 3rd November
196. The Bettany Twins and the Chalet School, 6th November
197. Village Story, 6th November
198. The Uncommon Reader, read by the author, 7th November
199. The Conjuror's Bird, 12th November ROOT
200. Hamnet, 17th November
201. When Will There Be Good News?, read by Steven Crossley, 19th November
202. The Chalet School in Guernsey, 21st November
203. Powder and Patch, read by Jamie Glover, 24th November ROOT
204. V For Victory, 26th November
205. Too Good to Be True, 27th November
206. The Darkest Evening, 29th November

December

207. Ink and Bone, 3rd December
208. Started Early, Took My Dog, read by Nicholas Bell, 5th December
209. Joy to the World, read by Lucy Price-Lewis, 7th December
210. Paper and Fire, 7th December
211. No Holly for Miss Quinn, read by Gwen Watford, 9th December
212. Little Donkey, read by Lucy Price-Lewis, 10th December
213. A Child's Christmas in Wales, read by the author, 11th December
214. Ash and Quill, 12th December
215. A History of Britain: Volume 2, read by Stephen Thorne, 15th December
216. Over Sea, Under Stone, 20th December
217. Winter in Thrush Green, 21st December
218. Hard Time, read by Zara Ramm, 24th December
219. The Christmas Mystery, 24th December
220. Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories, 24th December
221. The Ordeal of the Haunted Room, 26th December
222. A Christmas Carol, read by Hugh Grant, 26th December
223. A Surprise for Christmas: and Other Seasonal Mysteries, 27th December
224. A Christmas Carol, read by Anton Lesser, 28th December
225. Crossed Skis, 28th December
226. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 30th December
227. 366 Days: Compelling Stories From World History, 31st December

Hi Kerry, I'm here to read your stories!

>14 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana! I have you starred.

Welcome back!

Happy New Group and Thread, Kerry!

Happy New Year Kerry!
Starred you!

Best wishes for 2020!

>19 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana. I'm glad to see you back and have your new thread starred.

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

>21 PaulCranswick: I don't even attempt New Year Resolutions any more but these look much better, and more attainable, than Lose Weight, Take up Exercise etc!

Happy reading in 2020, Kerry!

Hanging out my star!

Happy New Year, Kerry! Starring your thread and looking forward to seeing what you read again this year.

Happy New Year, Kerry. I look forward to following your reading again this year.

Happy New Year! Dropping off my star and looking forward to your reading.

Happy new year Kerry!

How lovely to see your first book of 2020 was a Chalet School read! I have fond memories of the earlier books in the series.

Happy reading 2020, Kerry. Wow you've already read four books. I'm impressed.

>31 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. I've finished four books - I always have several books on the go at once so I will have started most of those before the beginning of2020.

I have 29 books in my Currently Reading collection at the moment but a lot of those I haven't touched for some months and some of them I haven't actually started yet. I also have a Goodreads account which I use to track my reading and I have only 19 books on that Currently Reading shelf so you can see my organisation is a bit haphazard, although my finishing dates are usually correct!

>32 CDVicarage: You are more oganized then I am, Kerry. I can't read 'mulitask'. I have always one book and one audio at the same time. It would disturb the plots when there were more plots. My family are able to read more books at the same time but not me. When I finish a book/audio then I choose what my mood says.

The year has started well for my reading, although most of these were started last year:



Althea Joins the Chalet School, finished 1st January. Nearly the end of the original series.



Jane Austen at Home, finished 2nd January. This was a lovely book - very easy to read and very interesting.



The Cactus, finished 3rd January. 'This will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' (which I read last year and enjoyed), says the blurb, and I could see the similarity but it isn't as good.



Prefects of the Chalet School, finished 4th January. The last of the series written by EBD. It and the previous one both cover only a half term each and there is conjecture, and much discussion, that they weren't completely written by EBD but finished or padded out by her friend Phyllis Matthewman. It seems a shame that such a good series fizzles out in this way but I'm pleased that so many fill-ins and continuations have been added and that most of them are good.



Images of Christmas, finished 5th January. I've been looking through this lovely book of Christmas and winter themed calligraphy and illustrations over the Christmas period. As we marked Epiphany today at church - brought forward from tomorrow - it seemed an appropriate day to finish it and return it to my bookshelf until next Christmas.

Looks like you are off to an excellent start!

Kerry, the biography of Jane Austen sounds like I need to read it! It is definitely going on my list. Wishing you a great year of happy reading.

Lucy Worsley is becoming something of the people's historian of the late Georgian period.

Have a lovely weekend, Kerry.

Nothing to Report, finished 6th January. A lovely book from the Furrowed Middlebrow range, set just as WW2 is starting.



The Reluctant Widow, read by Cornelius Garrett, finished 7th January. A many times re-read.



The Salt Path, finished 9th January. I read this for my RL Book Group, although I would have been interested anyway, however I didn't really care for it. I couldn't empathise with the couple at all and didn't share their opinions. The meeting is next month so I'll have to wait to see what the others thought.



New Beginnings at the Chalet School, finished 9th January. One of the earliest sequels/fill-ins for this series and it fits in and matches well.



Why is Nothing Ever Simple?, read by Zara Ramm, finished 10th January. I read the print version on Christmas Day but I like to read the audio versions too.



The Chalet school Librarian, finished 11th January. This is the final story in the Chalet School timeline that I have so I have finished my read-through, which now comprises 84 books, and which I started in May 2016. I haven't read them perfectly in order as some of the new ones were published after I had passed that era in my reading. I shall have a rest from the Chalet School now but I shall certainly read the series again some time.

You are way up with your reading. Have a lovely Sunday evening.

>38 CDVicarage: Sorry to hear you didn't care for The Salt Path. It was one of my five star reads of last year - loved it.

>38 CDVicarage: I hope to read The Salt Path this year. Sorry it didn't work for you. I've read so many good reviews of it. I may be more like you. I'll just have to read it and see.

My reading is slowing down - only three titles finished this week!



Autumn Term, finished 13th January. This is the first in a series of (originally) ten books and starts when the Marlow twins - the youngest of a family of eight - start boarding school at the age of 12/13ish. While it is set in a well-off, upper middle class background it still reflects what it was like to be a young teenager for me, even though that is not my background at all.



The Marlows and the Traitor, finished 15th January. I went straight to the next story, which is a holiday-set story.



Love Lettering, finished 17th January. I liked the sound of this story but it didn't live up to its promise for me.

I started my day with a visit to the dentist - fortunately for a check-up and all is OK. Then I went on to work - I do two days a week typesetting and general assistance for my son-in-law in his small printing business. Clare was working from home today so it was good to see her. As I arrived home the sunset was developing so I walked along Church Lane to watch it and take photos.

Only two titles finished this week:



Charlotte Fairlie, read by Hilary Neville, finished 21st January. This was a delightful read. The story is 'gentle', if a bit dated. It is set in 1953 the coronation is featured and , although nothing really dramatic happens I was interested in the characters and hoped they (or most of them) had happy endings. They did!



Miss Carter and the Ifrit, finished 24th January. Another book from the Furrowed Middlebrow range published by Dean Street Press. I've not read one that I didn't enjoy and this one was lovely. It was another 'gentle' story and I enjoyed the moral dilemmas - and her solutions to them - that Miss Carter encountered in her dealings with her Ifrit (or genie).

A good ending to the month:



The Bertrams, finished 27th January. I read this along with the Group Read organized and tutored by Liz, which definitely helped me. I mostly enjoyed it but needed Liz's guidance over several parts so I might not have continued if I'd been reading on my own.



The Doll's House and Other Stories, finished 28th January. Four recently published short stories which were interesting and easy to read but I'm not a fan of short stories generally and wanted to know more about the characters or didn't care for the story.



The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life, finished 30th January. I've started a self-imposed challenge to read my ebooks in date order. I intend to pick every other book from my oldest unread list. I started doing this last year but didn't persist. I bought this ebook in May 2012 and haven't looked at it since. I almost abandoned it but it did improve as it went along so I'm fairly glad I didn't. It concerns various inhabitants of a Sussex village in the early 21st century. While most were believable they certainly weren't all likeable - I'd have liked to tell some of them to pull themselves together (which is unfair of me) as there were of lot of what I'd call First World Problems but if it's a problem for you it's a problem. The book is the first of a series of five but I'm not interested/concerned enough to bother with any more. If it was a paper book it would be going to the nearest charity shop.



The Long Call, finished 31st January. This is the first in the new series by Ann Cleeves, set in north Devon, and I shall certainly be reading the next when it's published.



Lillian's Story, finished 31st January. The next oldest of my unread ebooks, also bought in May 2012, and again I nearly abandoned unfinished but I speed read through to the end. It was interesting in places but bitty - no-one's life is interesting every day but there was a lot of large unexplained jumps in the story.



Sorry for the Dead, read by Sandra Duncan, finished 1st February. Another excellent reading by Sandra Duncan and a good story although I was cross/alarmed that Josephine didn't get the right killer.

January summary:

Twenty one titles finished this month - seven paper books, eleven ebooks and three audiobooks. Nine were re-reads and twelve were new to me, which is a good ratio, I think, and there were three ROOT successes, a level I would like to maintain this year.

February is starting well and is slightly longer this year, so I may be able to keep up my reading numbers!

I shall continue my efforts to read my oldest ebook purchases and attempt to weed out my bookshelves as we shall be downsizing in the fairly near future.

>45 CDVicarage: I'm glad The Long Call was good. I need to see if that one is in at the library. I wanted to check it out over Christmas but it was out. I'll see if it's available now.

I've just discovered that Elly Griffiths is appearing in Waterstones in Durham on Saturday and I just happen to be going to Durham on Saturday! I had intended to wait until The Lantern Men was a bit cheaper but I think I might have to buy it now...

>48 CDVicarage: Enjoy it! I love her books.

Murder Most Unladylike, finished 5th February. This is the first of a YA series, set in a boarding school during the 1930s. The two main protagonists have formed a detection society and one of them then finds a murder victim, but before the crime can be reported the body disappears. This means they have to solve the crime themselves. I like the characters and intend to continue with the series, although so many teachers have disappeared I wonder if the school can survive...



Still Waters, Closed Circles, Guiltless, Tonight You're Dead and In the Heat of the Moment, finished from 7th to 14th February. I read the first one and just had to go straight on to the next. They all have a cliffhanger, not pertaining to the crime but to the state of the main characters' health and their relationships. Books three and four were getting quite dark - real Scandi-noir - but book five was a bit easier and it let me stop for a while. I have two more books in the series but I think there are more to come.



Arabella, read by Phyllida Nash, finished 14th. This has been my bedtime book and it's a delightful re-read, and a rest from the more serious daytime reading!

I had a day out to Durham on Saturday: the choir that my daughter, Clare, sings in was singing Evensong in Durham Cathedral. The weather was wild, although Storm Dennis is not so strong in the north I think, and we left at 7 in the morning and arrived by about 9.45. Clare went straight to the cathedral to start rehearsing, I went to Waterstones where Ely Griffiths was appearing. She was an excellent speaker - it was more like a chat - and it was very interesting to hear how her life and her parents' and grandparents' lives had given her ideas for her books. Of course there was a signing session afterwards and I had to buy a copy of The Lantern Men (in hardback) as it was the only one of her books that I don't yet have (apart from those she wrote as Domenica de Rosa.

I spent the rest of the day in the cathedral, with plenty of breaks for coffee and lunch, as it was so wet out that I decided not to do any more shopping. Evensong was at 5.15, which was lovely. By that time most of the tourists had gone and the cathedral was nearly empty and only the choir stalls and the nave were lit, which gave a lovely quiet atmosphere.

The drive home was quite wild but the roads were not very busy and we weren't held up and I was home by about 9.45 - a long, tiring day but well worth it.



Ms Griffiths, signing the book I bought.

wish you a good new week

>50 CDVicarage: The YA book sounds interesting.

>51 CDVicarage: I'm impressed you read so many of the Viveca Sten ones. Several of us want to continue the series, so I'm sure we will.

>51 CDVicarage: Cool that you got to meet Elly Griffiths, Kerry. I must catch up with her series' as I have only read the first one in the Ruth Galloway series.

>52 paulstalder: Thanks, Paul. There are quite a lot of snowdrops crocuses and daffodils in bloom outside here in Cheshire, but I expect they have been rather battered by Storm Dennis this weekend.

>50 CDVicarage: Arabella was the first Heyer I ever read, when I was about fifteen or sixteen or so. Still love it!

A good reading week:



Emma, read by Juliet Stevenson, finished 17th February. A many times re-read. Since I have an Amazon Echo thing in several rooms now I often have an audiobook on the go. I choose one I have read before so that I don't need to read on to find out what happened next but just listen now and again. I started this book just before Christmas.



The Stranger Diaries, finished 17th February. When I got this book it was a standalone but it now appears to be the first in a series! I'm not so keen on it as on the Ruth Galloway series but it will probably improve as I get to know the characters and setting - the Brighton series has.



A Peaceful Retirement, read by Sian Phillips, finished 18th February. I definitely don't like the later Fairacre books as much as the earlier ones and, good as she is, Sian Phillips doesn't have the right voice for Miss Read, but it has been a good, gentle book for bedtime reading.



The Manor House Murder, finished 19th February. The third and final book in the series based on Monica Noble, vicar's wife. Being a vicar's wife myself I am drawn to church-based books and often enjoy laughing at the inaccuracies and unlikely occurrences in them - and this one had a few. All three books have been pleasant enough reads but I'm glad the series is over.



The Lantern Men, finished 19th February. This is the book pictured above, and was a great read - I whizzed through it. But now I have no more Elly Griffiths to read - I might re-read the Ruth Galloway series, more slowly to see if I missed anything.



Her Revolution, finished 22nd February. This is an Early Review book, which I mostly enjoyed. Both plot and characters were enjoyable except when they were too much. The main character, Finn or Nuala has been downtrodden by her husband, and then her sons - coercive control if the story was more serious - but the last straw - when they all forget or ignore her fortieth birthday - spurs her into action. She resigns from her duties as a wife and mother having realised she was married to a house and tries to please herself. She is from a complex and unusual family background and large numbers of relatives suddenly emerge and, having managed to turf out her dreadful husband, her life is almost taken over again by these. However she manages, with the support and help of other women in a similar situation, and her family to win through.

Being a vicar's wife myself I am drawn to church-based books and often enjoy laughing at the inaccuracies and unlikely occurrences in them

I was just wondering if people in other professions/roles did this because I do it all the time with books involving librarians/libraries. :)

I really loved The Stranger Diaries, more so than the Ruth Galloway mysteries. But we all have different taste. Like you, I really enjoyed The Long Call. That's another I look forward to the next in the series. You really did have a great week of reading.

>58 MickyFine: I tend to avoid books about other people in my profession, because the inaccuracies make me want to throw things too much.

>61 MickyFine: I hear you. Bad depictions of librarians make me crazy too. :)

I'll probably finish The Lantern Men within the next day or two as well. I already had to skim through the last bit of the book to check how a few things work out..... then I will be in the same situation as you.

There's another of her school stories due out in May.

>51 CDVicarage: That sounds like a wonderful day. Lucky you to have read The Lantern Men already. I didn't know The Stranger Diaries was the first of a series. Like you, I liked it but not as much as the Ruth Galloway series.

I have Still Waters waiting for me when I finish the book I am reading now.

By the way, I am happy to get through two books in a week!

I didn't finish listing my February reading - I'll get it done now before it's time for March's!



Good Omens, finished 24th February. I watched, and very much enjoyed, the TV adaptation of this and decided to read the book, which was a mistake as the TV version stuck very closely to the book so, good as it was, it was a bit boring - it was a bit like reading the book twice.



In Harm's Way & In the Shadow of Power, finished 25th and 26th February. Books six and seven in the Sandhamm series and that is all that is available in English at the moment, but book eight is due out in May.

Seventeen titles finished in February; not as many as last month but it is a shorter month! One paper book, twelve ebooks and four audio books. There were no ROOT successes; I started three new series and finished four, although three are awaiting further additions.

>64 CDVicarage: I really need to get hold of that series, Kerry.

Stay safe!

Kerry, I'm so impressed with your reading progress. I read three books in a week, maximum. I've never read any Elly Griffiths books except the Ruth Galloway series but I'll have to expand to other series.
Happy reading.

Have a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Kerry.

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Kerry.

I don't know quite what happened to March, but here's my reading:



44 Scotland Street, read by Hilary Neville, finished 1st March. I read this in print (more than ten years ago) and decided to listen to the series as my bedtime book. The reader is excellent and it's lovely to get to know the characters again. The short chapters make it ideal for bedtime reading.



Rubbernecker, finished 1st March. This was strongly recommended by my sister so I gave it a try. I wasn't as keen - I found the different view points confusing but as it went on I settled in and grasped what was happening.



The Scribbler No. 13 November 2019: A retrospective literary review, finished 1st March. Another enjoyable edition.



Kind Hearts and Coronets: Israel Rank, finished 4th March. The film based on this book is one of my favourites but I had never read the original before. It is the same basic story but having the hero (villain?) Jewish changes the atmosphere.



Doing Time, read by Zara Ramm, finished 8th March. Excellent audio version of the new series from Jodi Taylor.



The Body in the Beck, finished 10th March. The second in a series featuring that most unpleasant detective, Ronald Price, set in the Lake District.



The Dream Dog, finished 11th March. A lovely children's story about a boy who wants a dog.



And Be a Villain, Long Shadows, finished 13th and 14th March. Books three and four in the Ronald Price series. While they were pleasant enough reads I cannot remember the plots a month later!



Slightly Foxed 62: One Man and his Pigs, finished 14th March. A delightful collection of literary articles - as usual.



All is Discovered, finished 16th March. The fifth, and final, book featuring Ronald Price.



Espresso Tales, read by Hilary Neville, finished 22nd March. More from Scotland Street.



Crazy Rich Asians, finished 23rd March. This was read for my book group. I read it in rather a hurry as it didn't really appeal at the time, and I didn't care for it. We had our meeting using Zoom, which worked better than I expected, and, although most of us found something to enjoy in the book no-one was wildly keen.



Last Orders, finished 29th March. Not a good book for the current time for me.



Just One Damned Thing After Another, A Symphony of Echoes and A Second Chance, read by Zara Ramm, finished 28th to 31st March. The next in the Chronicles of St Mary's series is out on 16th April so I'm whizzing through the previous stories to remind myself what's happened so far.

March summary:

I finished seventeen books this month - two paper books, nine ebooks and six audiobooks. Eleven were new to me, including two ROOT successes, and the other six (all audiobooks) were re-reads.

I have the first book in that Ronald Price series downloaded. I need to read it sometime.

>70 CDVicarage: Wow! You're sure doing great with your reading!

Dropping by to wish you a peaceful and relaxing weekend, Kerry.

>74 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I'll take it for this weekend!

April has gone by without any updates on my reading so I shall have to do the whole month at once:



A Trail Through Time, No Time Like the Past, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, Lies, Damned Lies and History, And the Rest is History, An Argumentation of Historians, and Hope For the Best, all read by Zara Ramm, finished between 1st and 12th April. The continuation of my re-read of the series ready for the new one about to be published.



Love Over Scotland, read by Hilary Neville, finished 12th April. Third in the Scotland Street series. This is ideal as my bedtime audiobook as it has lots of short chapters. I'm also enjoying the stories!



Blue Remembered Hills, finished 12th April. I have read my way through Rosemary Sutcliff's Roman Britain (and after) series, starting with The Eagle of the Ninth over the last year, and, although I enjoyed this memoir of her early life, it stopped just as he began her writing career.



All We Shall Know, finished 14th April. I read this for my book group, and I read it reluctantly and in a hurry so I was not predisposed to like it. Everyone else in the group did like it, or at least appreciated it. I think it was the wrong book for the time for me.



Plan for the Worst, finished 16th April. The latest St Mary's Chronicle and I whizzed through it in a day. This is the eleventh book in the series (not counting the many intermediate short stories) and it's always worrying that a long series doesn't maintain its quality or interest but this one is still working very well for me.



The Disorderly Knights, read by David Monteath, finished 18th April. I have been reading audiobooks during my daily walk and have been able to work my way through some long books. I rarely meet anyone while I'm out so it's alright when they make me cry! I'm also finding it useful to have the Amazon Echoes around the house as I can easily order Alexa to continue with the book wherever I am.



Hillary's Back!, finished 21st April. A new story about Hillary Greene, the eighteenth in the series. Despite the fact the seventeenth was entitled Hillary's Final Case she is back at work in the Cold Case Dept, with a new team, so I suspect there may be more to come.



The World According to Bertie, finished 23rd April. Annoyingly, books five, six and seven are only available as abridged audio books so I have gone back to print.



Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, read by Stephen Fry, finished 25th April. I took advantage of Audible's free books to listen to this using the Amazon Echoes around the house, rather than use my CDs.



The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, finished 25th April. Book five in the Scotland Street series.



Lady of Quality, read by Eve Matheson, finished 28th April. This was the last of Georgette Heyer's Regency books and it is not the best (although not the worst either) but the reading was very good.



The Importance of Being Seven, finished 28th April. Book six in the series, and it's back to audio for the next one.



Pawn in Frankincense, read by David Monteath, finished 29th April. This is the fourth (of six) in the series, and is probably the most harrowing.

I finished nineteen books in April: one paper book, six ebooks and twelve audiobooks. Four books were new to me, with one ROOT success, and the remaining fifteen were re-reads, sometimes in a different format. I have 30 books in my Currently Reading collection and some of them have been there for a long time so it may be time for a clear-out. I also use Goodreads just to track my reading and my Currently Reading shelf there only has 19 books in it!

>6 CDVicarage: Congratulations on reaching 75, Kerry!

>78 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Allowing for time differences may I jump in and wish you a Happy Birthday, Kerry.

>80 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. When I looked it was 50 minutes early!

>81 CDVicarage: I was 1 hour and 4 minutes on time!

Today is midway between my birthday and my Thingaversary (18th and 20th May) and I usually buy three Persephones to mark the occasion but there had been no Persephone Biennial and I was worried that there would be no new books published because of Lockdown restrictions, but it arrived yesterday - hurray - and I have just ordered my three: They knew Mr Knight, Brook Evans and Operation Heartbreak. I usually make my choice from the newly published books and then go back to the beginning of the list and fill in titles I haven't got yet. I don't expect (or intend) to ever have a complete set: I rarely choose cookery or gardening books, poetry or short stories but I never have any difficulty in finding three titles I want!

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Kerry.

I'm doing well with my reading this month so I think it's time to list some so that I'm not overwhelmed at the end of the month:



The Man With a Load of Mischief, finished 4th May. The first in another series. It's a humorous whodunnit with a cast of eccentric characters and good enough to make me want to go on with it.



The Woman in White (DVD), finished 5th May. I watched this for my book group. It was my choice of book and this TV adaptation originally prompted me to read the book. It dates from 1982 and seems more old-fashioned than the book - hammy acting - but it sticks well to the story.



If I Never Met You, finished 7th May. An easy, light read, which passed the time.



Falconer's Lure, Peter's Room, The Thuggery Affair, The Ready Made Family, The Cricket Term, The Attic Term, Run Away Home and Spring Term, finished 8th to 19th May. Once I start this series I want to finish it. They are all good and there is now another episode written by Sally Hayward, which is as good.



Bertie Plays the Blues, read by David Rintoul, finished 11th May. Back to audio for book 7 in the series but, annoyingly, with a different narrator. David Rintoul is a good reader but his voices are different from Hilary Neville's and it took a while to settle back into the story.



The Woman in White, finished 12th May. I've read this book many times and I realised I skim through the wordy bits. I chose this for my book group and although everyone else appreciated it they did find it a bit dull and wordy in places and didn't seem to notice the humour.



The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen, finished 15th May. This was read as part of my challenge to read the oldest unread kindle books I have. I've reached August 2012 with this one. I did enjoy it, although I managed to break off for about a month in the middle of it before coming back to finish it.



Sunshine on Scotland Street, read by David Rintoul, finished 21st May. More from Scotland Street.



The Maids of La Rochelle, Seven Scamps and Heather Leaves School, finished 21st to 24th May. These are the middle three (of seven) in EBD's La Rochelle series. They were some of her first books - published 1922 to 1929 - and have dated rather badly compared with the Chalet School series but they introduce some characters who, along with their children, later appear in the Chalet School.



The Ringed Castle, read by David Monteath, finished 25th May. Another excellent episode in the Lymond Chronicles and this new reading is very good.

Time to finish off May:



Mapp and Lucia Rise Again, finished 26th May. A follow on from E. F. Benson's series and, although it was better than some others I have read, it doesn't measure up to Benson.



Slightly Foxed 63: Adrift on the Tides of War, finished 26th May. Another lovely edition.



Somewhere in England, finished 30th May. This follows on from Nothing to Report, which I finished in January, using the same setting and many of the same characters three years on into the Second World War. No strong narrative arc but it's lovely to read the day-to-day activities of a group of people.



The Scribbler No. 14 March 2020: A retrospective literary review, finished 30th May. Another good collection of articles about books from the past. The themes from this volume were Women's Clubs and Summer Schools and Going Back. The literary trail features Chester and other parts of Cheshire.

This month I finished 23 books: thirteen paper books, six ebooks, three audiobooks and one DVD. I wouldn't normally include a DVD but it was an adaptation of a book I was reading for my book group. Sixteen books were re-reads, although some were in a different format, and seven were new to me, but only one was a ROOT success.

Lockdown has definitely affected my reading - being at home all the time means that paper books are easily accessible and I don't need to worry about being able to carry my reading around with me. I'm also doing more of it as the novelty of being at home has worn off - not that I went out much as I don't have a job any more - and not being able to go out even if I want to feels more restrictive.

I think that the reading numbers overall will be up this year, Kerry.

Great work, Kerry, you sure have done a lot of reading! I'm just starting the first in the series by Viveca Sten. I've been reading some weighty tomes ( well, a couple or so ) and with all of the unrest right now, I thought an escape into "scandicrime " might be a good idea.

>89 vancouverdeb: Hope you enjoy Viveca.

I really must go and check on that order for Viveca Sten.

Hope you are busy reading up a storm, Kerry.

>92 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I'm re-reading my way through The Chronicles of St Mary's, including all the short stories as I don't feel able to make much effort with something new at the moment.

>93 CDVicarage: I want to read something that I know I will enjoy, Kerry, so I am starting Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This is both as a tribute to the late author and because I am pretty certain it will be magical.

Dropping by to wish you all the best for your Sunday, Kerry.

Nearly half way through July and I haven't yet done a June round-up!



Slightly Foxed 64: Accepting an Invitation, finished 1st June. Another lovely issue.



The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists, finished 2nd June. An introductory short story to the new (to me) series by Alexander McCall Smith about Detective Varg



American Wife, finished 6th June. This was a Virago Secret Santa gift, several years ago now, and I don't know why I didn't read it earlier. Contrary to my expectations I enjoyed the 'White House era' section more than the early life. Although the author was clear about which parts of the plot were made-up, I still feel uneasy about reading fiction about recent real people.



Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers, read by David Rintoul, finished 7th June. Another enjoyable slice of life in and around Scotland Street.



The Bear and the Nightingale, finished 9th June. This was my book group book for this month and I was up and down about it. I like myths and legends so I was predisposed in its favour but did not enjoy it from the start and decided I wouldn't bother with the rest of the trilogy but by the time I finished it had all come together in my mind, and after hearing the others' opinions in the discussion, I was definite that I would read the others. However I haven't started them yet!



The Dark Ship, finished 10th June. This is a ROOT success, part of my scheme of reading the oldest unread ebook I have (with certain exemptions). The story is mostly set on the Isle of Lewis, starting from the late 19th century, and dots about in time, but is 'centred' on the Iolaire disaster of 1919. While it was a good book and a fascinating story, there was a bit too much of it and it did ramble in places.



The Rebecca Notebook and other Memories, finished 10th June. The Rebecca Notebook section was very interesting; the other autobiographical pieces less so. I think they would have been better read separately rather than one after the other.



Slightly Foxed 65: Asking the Right Questions, finished 11th June. I've nearly caught up only one more unread issue.



The Revolving Door of Life, read by David Rintoul, finished 15th June. This is the tenth in the series and I'm still enjoying them.



Spam Tomorrow, finished 16th June. Another good offering from the Furrowed Middlebrow range. This is an autobiography set during WW2.



Slightly Foxed 66: Underwater Heaven, finished 16th June. Caught up! I'll have to wait for the next one to arrive. I can go back and catch up on earlier issues - starting with No. 1 - online.



The Bertie Project, read by David Rintoul, finished 29th June. I've nearly finished this series, although I'm sure there will be more.

Between 18th June and 6th July I finished The Chronicles of St Mary's, novels and short stories, in story order. Except that I read the The Very First Damned Thing last and missed out And Now For Something Completely Different. The next short story is due out at Christmas and the next full length novel in April next year, and I can't wait. The audio version of Plan for the Worst is released next month so that will keep me going for a while!

I finished 33 titles during June: three paper books, twenty seven ebooks and three audiobooks. Eleven were new to me, including two ROOT successes, and the other twenty two were re-reads - in the case of the St Mary's books many times re-read.

Although the total number read is quite high twelve of them were short stories (but some were quite long short stories!), so I don't think I shall be keeping this progress going next month.

>98 CDVicarage: Impressive nonetheless. I have never averaged more than a book a day over a sustained period.

>97 CDVicarage: Wow!

Well, July is over so i had better comment on my reading while I can still remember it!

I included the The Chronicles of St Mary's that I finished in July in my June report - there were six titles, including three short stories - see above for details.



A Time of Love and Tartan, read by David Rintoul, finished 7th July. Only one more to go...



Old Filth, finished 8th July. This was a re-read for my book group. I thought I had read it quite recently but it had been six years. I went through it quite quickly as I knew the story but I did forget that I had also read the second in the trilogy so there did seem to be quite a bit missing!



Kipling and Trix, finished 10th July. This seemed to fit quite well as a follow on to Old Filth as Rudyard Kipling and his sister Trix were 'Raj orphans' who were not well treated by their English foster parents. It was interesting rather than an enjoyable read.



The Scribbler No. 15 July 2020: A retrospective literary review, finished 13th July. This issue focussed on books featuring publishers, prisoners and princesses, with a literary trail through the Channel Islands.



Not at Home, finished 15th July. Another lovely book from the Furrowed Middlebrow range - a humorous story about the difficulty of living with, and then getting rid of, an undesirable tenant, set in London in the immediate aftermath of WW2.



The Peppermint Tea Chronicles, read by David Rintoul, finished 17th July. The last in the series - so far - and the only one new to me in this read through. Fortunately the story is just as good and life seems to be improving for all our favourite characters. The whole series has been excellent bedtime reading/listening - light enough for falling asleep comfortably and nice short chapters so that I can easily have 'just one more' and I can find my place if I do fall asleep mid-read.



A Game of Snakes and Ladders, finished 20th July. Another Furrowed Middlebrow book, set mostly in Egypt between the wars. The author wrote it as a homage to the nineteenth century novels of Fanny Burney and succeeded very well. However it means that it was long and, although I enjoyed it very much, some patches verged on the 'long-winded'.



All Done by Kindness, finished 24th July. Set post-WW2, a mild satire on the art world, in which the good get their reward and the bad their come-uppance.



A Single Thread, read by Fenella Woolgar, finished 28th July. I loved this book and the reading was excellent but it didn't suit me as a bedtime book as it was quite sad and had a few scary bits so I read the last few chapters in print. Life could be very grim for the 'surplus women' between the wars - a financial and social struggle.



Table Two, finished 28th July. Another WW2-set book from the Furrowed Middlebrow range. It features a collection of eight or nine single women engaged on translation work during the early years of the war. Not all characters are fully introduced but I managed to keep them all distinct in my mind. Happy/suitable endings for the main characters.



Spring Magic, finished 30th July. D. E. Stevenson can always be relied on for an easy relaxing read, and this one was delightful with the expected (mostly) happy ending.

My July reading was dominated by the Furrowed Middlebrow range and set firmly in the mid-twentieth century. I'm struggling with anything too challenging at the moment but 'light' reading can be just as high quality as 'literary' books.

During July I finished sixteen titles: one paper book, twelve ebooks and three audiobooks. Seven were new to me and nine were re-reads. No ROOT successes.

I shall be doing AV/AA this month and hope I shall be reading some of my many unread paper books, although I have some ebooks which qualify as well.

>101 CDVicarage: I do like the covers of that Furrowed Middlebrow range. I know what you mean about focusing on light reading at the moment - I’ve very much been doing the same thing

I have to be honest, Kerry and admit that I had never heard of the "furrowed middlebrow range" - fascinating. I have read one or two of the books though on further investigation.

>104 PaulCranswick: It's fairly new - two or three years old. Dean Street Press also re-publish Golden Age mystery/detective novels - another genre I have come to enjoy over the last few years.

>105 CDVicarage: Yes, I like those too.

It's half way through the month so a good time to do a round-up:



Where the Crawdads Sing, finished 5th August. I had considered and dismissed this book earlier - when it was cheap on Amazon - but had to change my mind as it was the choice for my book group this month. I was even more annoyed that I had to pay full price as I didn't like it. The group was divided with a majority in its favour but I wasn't the only one who was unimpressed. It wasn't believable enough for me: if well-written or well-plotted or with other good points, suspension of disbelief is perfectly possible but not this time. The descriptive nature writing was lovely but the plot and characters were poor.



Northbridge Rectory, finished 7th August. I last read an Angela Thirkell book in August 2019. This series has become my AV/AA read and I'm enjoying them again.



The Corinthian, read by Georgina Sutton, finished 9th August. This was a many times re-read for my book at bedtime.



Picture Miss Seeton, finished 9th August. This is the first of a long series, which I started after seeing a later title praised by Tiffin. I enjoyed it very much and shall go on to the next soon. After five books the original author died and the series has been continued by other writers so I shall be able to stop then if I want to!



Now You See Them, finished 10th August. This is the fifth in the Stephens and Mephisto series and they are improving after a shaky start. This book is set about ten years after the last and the ending makes it clear that there will be more.



Miss Plum and Miss Penny, finished 13th August. Another lovely Furrowed Middlebrow title: Miss Penny rescues Miss Plum from a watery self-inflicted end and subsequently wishes she hadn't, as do all her local friends and acquaintances, but there is a tidy, if unexpected ending.



Checkmate, read by David Monteath, finished 13th August. I've been putting off listening to the final few chapters of this, as they are so heart-rending, even now I know how it ends, but I managed to work my way through to the end at last.



Marling Hall, finished 15th August. The next (eleventh) episode in the stories of Barsetshire. It is set in December leading up to the third Christmas of the war and the restrictions of war-time life are affecting, and irritating, everybody.

I've not been drawn to Where the Crawdad Sing even though it seemed to be getting plenty of LT praise but a friend gave me a copy because her book club had read it and she doesn't keep books. I can't say "no" to a book so put it in Mt. TBR with plans to read it "some day". Maybe I'll just donate it instead.

Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Kerry!

>109 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita, I hadn't noticed!

Your thread is always so dangerous because I love the "village fiction."

Time to finish off August:



Much Dithering, finished 18th August. Another new book from the Furrowed Middlebrow range. It's just the kind of story I need at the moment - light and amusing.



Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, read by Stephen Fry, finished 19th August. Some easy bedtime reading.



Growing Up, finished 22nd August. Back to wartime Barsetshire for AV/AA.



Plan for the Worst, read by Zara Ramm, finished 22nd August. The print version was published in April but we've had to wait until August for the audio version.



The Headmistress, finished 24th August. A girls school is evacuated to rural Barsetshire.



Miss Bunting, finished 26th August. Miss Bunting has been governess to all of the children of the titled and gentry families of the area and comes out of retirement to educate Anne Fielding, who is too delicate for school.



Peace Breaks Out, finished 30th August. This is a good place to stop in this series for a while. The war has ended and Angela Thirkell's Tory opinions are being more and more forcibly expressed - what was amusing satire has become outrageous snobbery and racism. It may be that I have read too many in a row and I will come back to the series at a later date.

Time to wrap up August:



Young Anne, finished 31st August. This is Dorothy Whipple's first novel and is slightly autobiographical. There's room for improvement but it's still a very good start. I've got five more in Persephones to read.

So, in August I finished sixteen titles: one paper book, eleven ebooks and four audiobooks. Twelve were new to me and four - the audiobooks - were re-reads. Unfortunately all the ebooks were recently bought so no effect on the TBR pile at all.

Here is the September round-up:



Kidnapped, read by David Rintoul, finished 2nd September. A re-read of a good Ripping Yarn. The ending of this always takes me by surprise as the sequel, Catriona follows on straightaway.



Peace, Perfect Peace, finished 4th September. Another story from the Furrowed Middlebrow series, about the immediate post-WW2 period and the difficulties of settling down to 'normal' life for families that have been separated during wartime.



The Garden of Evening Mists, finished 9th September. This was my book group choice for this month and, while I enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away by it as some other members of the group were.



Learning About Heraldry, finished 17th September. I picked this off my shelf and read it cover to cover one evening. For a book aimed at children it seems quite complex.



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, read by Stephen Fry, finished 20th September. Another bedtime re-read.



Slightly Foxed 67: A Separate World Autumn 2020, finished 24th September. The latest issue and not so many really good articles (for me) this quarter, but still worth reading.



Nicola Goes to the Oberland, finished 25th September. This was a very good Chalet School fill-in (or continuation); the plot and writing style fitted in well with the original books. However it was self-published and the lack of editing shows as there are factual and spelling mistakes throughout.



Beneath the Visiting Moon, finished 26th September. Another Furrowed Middlebrow book set immediately pre-WW2. It is a coming-of-age story for the eldest daughter in a family of four children and it was an enjoyable read but there was no real ending - the story just stopped.



Queen Lucia, read by Nadia May, finished 27th September. Another old favourite. Unfortunately I only have two of the six Mapp & Lucia books as audiobooks.



The Talisman Ring, read by Phyllida Nash, finished 29th September. Yet another re-read. This is one of my favourite Georgette Heyers and I could listen to it over and over again.



Father, finished 30th September. This is the first of the British Library Women Writers series that I have read and I enjoyed it very much. It feels quite special to know the person who wrote the Afterword! (Simon Thomas/Stuck-in-a-Book)

As far as numbers go September wasn't a particularly strong month as I only finished eleven books, but I also listened to the audio versions of the Chronicles of St Mary's as well. I had them on in the background and didn't concentrate on them completely and so I haven't included them in my total. This month I read three paper books, four ebooks and four audiobooks. Seven were new to me and the other four were re-reads, which is a better ratio than I expected. (And I didn't count the fourteen or so re-reads from St Mary's.)

A very respectable month. I really should pick up a Heyer - I've been working my way through them in publication date order and haven't read one in a while.

>115 CDVicarage: I'd be happy with those figures these days, Kerry. My own third quarter reading was slow to the point of somnolence.

I should try Kidnapped and Treasure Island in audio sometime. I don't think I ever thought about listening to them. Might be a good diversion some time.

>118 thornton37814: I think that you are right. Those sort of stories clearly lend themselves to audio books.

The Musgraves, read by Anne Dover, finished 1st October. D. E. Stevenson's books are usually the ultimate in 'cosiness' but have enough humour and 'bite' to make them worth while but this one went too far. Every slight hint of a problem or unpleasantness was swiftly resolved - it was a typical 'People's Friend' story. The reader was excellent and it was probably only that that made me bother to finish it.



Rain: Four Walks in English Weather, finished 4th October. A lovely read; there is a walk for each season, spread over the whole of England. I have some novels by this author and I am keen to try them now.



The Nonesuch, read by Eve Matheson, finished 4th October. A bedtime re-read of a favourite.



House of the Glimmering Light, finished 5th October. This is a new edition of a rare book by Jane Shaw, set in wartime Scotland. Jane Shaw is probably best known for her 'Susan' books, which are very funny and this book has plenty of humour.



Ladies in Lavender, read by Harriet Walter, finished 6th October. This is a short story, not a full-length novel.



The Quantum Curators and the Fabergé Egg, finished 9th October. This was recommended to me by a bookseller's algorithm because I've read the Chronicles of St Mary's and it was quite a good match - good enough for me to read the next in the series when it is published - but Jodi Taylor still outdoes it.



Redshank's Warning, finished 9th October. This is the first in a series and I think I probably read it, and the others, when I was a child, and I still enjoyed it now. Malcolm Saville's books are always set in real places and provided with maps so you can follow the action. This one is set in Blakeney in Norfolk.



The Grand Sophy, read by Sarah Woodward, finished 11th October. If I can't decide what I want to read next a Georgette Heyer is always a good idea. This is one of her funniest.



The Family Holiday, finished 13th October. A middle-class, middle England novel. A mildly troubled family takes a holiday and sorts itself out. A summer holiday read - if it had been a paperback I would have happily left it in a holiday cottage.



The Canterville Ghost, read by Rupert Degas, finished 13th October. A witty short story about how an unsentimental American family deal with an English ghost in their rented stately home.



The Midnight Library, read by Carey Mulligan, finished 15th October.This book has been receiving a lot of attention recently and, while I enjoyed it, I didn't think it was that good. The reading was excellent.



Hard Time, finished 15th October. Eagerly awaited second book in Jodi Taylor's The Time Police series. I read it in a day and shall be re-reading soon when I get the audio version.



When Did You Last See Your Father?, read by Zara Ramm, finished 18th October. Although I had read this in print I seemed to have missed the audio version so I caught up and found two more very short stories at the end.



Cotillion, read by Phyllida Nash, finished 18th October. More Georgette Heyer. I have some Amazon gadgets around the house and it is nice to be able to say "Alexa, play audiobook ..." and easily listen wherever I am.

I think there will be more books finished before the end of the month so I will be adding those and doing an October round-up next weekend.

Mr Standfast, read by Peter Joyce, finished 26th October. The third Richard Hannay story, which has our hero going underground to discover a traitor, falling in love, and fighting in France. Full of the usual racism, sexism, chauvinism etc but still rather fun to listen to.



Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, read by the author, finished 27th October. I've read this in print before but the author's reading is excellent.



Tea is so Intoxicating, finished 31st October. Another in the new series from the British Library. An easy read.



The Scribbler No. 16 November 2020: A retrospective literary review, finished 31st October. This issue had reviews of books set in the theatre, those using the 'Cinderella' trope including a short story by E. Nesbit, historical fiction set in Russia and a literary trail in Orkney and Shetland.

October round-up:

Eighteen books finished this month - and one abandoned, The Master and Margarita - three paper books, five ebooks and ten audiobooks. The audiobook total is quite high this month - I've been doing a lot of knitting and making full use of my Amazon Echo. It's so easy to say 'Alexa, play audiobook'!

>120 CDVicarage: I loved Rain: Four Walks in English Weather when I read it.

>121 CDVicarage: I will go and look for that periodical, Kerry - it looks just my cup of tea.

>124 PaulCranswick: This (The Scribbler)and Slightly Foxed are the highlights for me. I've now caught up on my copies and find myself waiting impatiently for the next ones to arrive. I have some back numbers of Slightly Foxed to read on screen but they are things I really prefer on paper.

It's half way through the month so a good day to list my recent reading, I think:



The Nanny State Made Me, finished 2nd November. An interesting book, written with a humorous slant. I didn't need to be converted to his point of view as I already share it, but it was a useful read as it told me some things I didn't already know.



One Good Turn, read by Steven Crossley, finished 3rd November. I have read this in print - quite recently, I thought - so I was surprised that I remembered so little of the plot. However, having consulted my records it was 2008 when I last read it. This was a good reading but I was disappointed that the narrator had changed from the previous book in the series.



A History of Britain, Volume 1: At the Edge of the World, 3000 BC - AD 1603, read by Timothy West, finished 3rd November. This was a daytime audiobook, listened to while I was eating, knitting, sewing etc so I wasn't always giving it my full attention but it's a story that I'm fairly familiar with... Simon Schama writes well and often with humorous comments and Timothy West is someone that I could listen to reading a shopping list.



The Bettany Twins and the Chalet School, finished 6th November. A new Chalet school fill-in, the fifth that Helen Barber has written and, as usual, she does it very well.



Village Story, finished 6th November. Another lovely Furrowed Middlebrow title but I didn't enjoy it as much as some others although I think that is more likely because I have read so many and am ready for a change, rather than that it isn't as good.



The Uncommon Reader, read by the author, finished 7th November. Another audiobook that I have previously read in print - this time in 2007 - but this was more memorable - because shorter? - and was very well read.



The Conjuror's Bird, finished 12th November. I have been making a concerted effort to read some of the unread paper books on my shelves. This is the fourth one that I have tried this month and the only one that I actually read - the others were pearl-ruled and despatched to the charity shop. As was this one but I did read it first, and, while I enjoyed it well enough, I shan't be re-reading it.

>126 CDVicarage: I loved The Uncommon Reader.

>126 CDVicarage: Alan Bennett is always a pleasure.

I've so enjoyed going through this thread looking for ideas for next audio books -- I'm "doing" the St Mary's serious on audio. So glad too that you love Dunnett. I'm thinking about starting the Niccolo series but not until after the inauguration of the RIGHT PERSON WHO WON THE ELECTION (sorry, can't help doing this). I cannot read anything even remotely demanding in the fictional department at the moment and the only fiction is some history/bio/memoirish or books like the Rain and walking one which I have noted!

>129 sibylline: I used the period of our first lockdown to listen through the Lymond Chronicles. The new recordings are all by one reader, who has just the right Scottish accent, the old ones were read by three different people, who, good as they were, were not right for Lymond. I have the new recordings for House of Niccolo to start as well but it is a demanding feat to contemplate!

Time to finish November's reading:



Hamnet, finished 17th November.This was my choice for my book group so I was a bit anxious about, but no need as I loved it and so did the rest of the group.



When Will There Be Good News?, read by Steven Crossley, finished 19th November. Book 3 (of 5) in the Jackson Brodie series. I have read this in print so I know roughly what happens, which means I can safely read it as my bedtime book. It was a good reading.



The Chalet School in Guernsey, finished 21st November. Another lovely new fill-in for the Chalet School series.



Powder and Patch, read by Jamie Glover, finished 24th November. A not-very-good reading of a not-very-good book but it is quite short. It was still worth reading - Georgette Heyer can't write a bad book, but it's definitely not one of her best.



V for Victory, finished 26th November. The third in this series and it's as good as the others. I don't know if there will be more.



Too Good to be True, finished 27th November. I discovered this short story from the Shetland series so read it in an evening.



The Darkest Evening, finished 29th November. Even better a new full length story in the Vera Stanhope series. It's a bit awkward going back to the original characters after getting seeing the new ones in the TV series but I soon got used to them again.

I don't think I'm going to finish another book by the end of today so I shall put my summary here:

Fourteen books finished this month - three paper books, six ebooks and five audiobooks. Eleven were new to me, (and two of those were ROOT successes) and three were re-reads - all audio versions of books previously read in print.

I expect more re-reads next month as I shall be reading plenty of Christmassy books.

>130 CDVicarage: I keep meaning to try the Dorothy Dunnett books. They were strongly recommended by my sister a while ago, but I haven’t got around to them yet.

>131 CDVicarage: Hamnet is my favorite book of 2020 so far!

>134 thornton37814: That seems to be echoed on a number of threads, Lori. I think Shuggie Bain will be my winner when I get it finished, although I haven't read Hamnet as I'm waiting for a normal sized paperback cover to appear.

Oh, sorry, also wishing you a lovely weekend, Kerry.

We've had an exciting week - our first grandson was due on 31st December but he arrived early on 16th - ready for Christmas! The birth went smoothly and Tobias Edward Ward Lowe was born at midday, weighing 6lb 9oz. He is to be known as Toby, although his parents have found themselves calling him 'Toebeans'.

>137 CDVicarage: Congratulations, grandmother Kerry!

Congratulations to all, and a welcome to young Toby!

Congratulations to your whole family, Kerry! He's beautiful!

Or in other words, Happy Christmas! And have a great New Year as well. Here’s hoping 2021 is better than 2020.

Congratulations on your Grandson, Kerry. He looks so comfy.

I hope you get some of those at least, Kerry, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

>138 FAMeulstee:, >139 harrygbutler:, >140 MickyFine:, >141 SandDune:, >142 PaulCranswick: Thank you, all for your congratulations and holiday wishes. Toby is always asleep, or feeding, when I see him but it won't be long before he is awake and taking notice!

Christmas Day was different from usual: my mother wasn't able to come and stay with us - she's with my sister - but Andrew is here, and Clare, Richard and Toby came over for dinner and presents. It's a very quiet time now and I don't think we'll mark New Year. We have snow at the moment - not deep, but a good covering and there is some ice.

At times I feel very hopeful about the Covid situation, but then I read about people who are going to refuse the vaccine and I know that we're not out of the woods yet. Andrew has Long Covid; his symptoms are headaches, brain fog and fatigue, and, of course he is depressed about things. I think he will be staying with us for a while yet, and, although I love having him here, I know he wants to get back to Bristol and start living a normal life again.

I think it's time to look at my December reading, although I expect to finish another book or two before the end of the month:



Ink and Bone, finished 3rd December. This was a recommendation from tiffin and as it was available from KindleUnlimited, worth a try. I enjoyed it very much - enough to pay for the next few in the series!



Started Early, Took My Dog, read by Nicholas Bell, finished 5th December. I've been re-reading this series in audio format, ready to try the new book. This is the third reader (of four books) so far, which has made it a bit disjointed. This reader was very good at dialogue but not so good at general narration. Of all the stories this is the bleakest and that made it a harder listen, but Kate Atkinson is good even when the story isn't!



Joy to the World, read by Lucy Price-Lewis, finished 7th December. Time to start some Christmas reading - this was a new short story in the Frogmorton Farm series.



Paper and Fire, finished 7th December. Book two in The Great Library series.



No Holly for Miss Quinn, read by Gwen Watford, finished 9th December. More Christmas re-reading.



Little Donkey, read by Lucy Price-Lewis, finished 10th December. I went back to the earlier Christmas short story.



A Child's Christmas in Wales, read by the author, finished 11th December.



Ash and Quill, finished 12th December. Book three of The Great Library. There'll be a gap now until the New Year.



A History of Britain: Volume 2, read by Stephen Thorne, finished 15th December. This has been my daytime audiobook. I shall leave volume 3 until the New Year.



Under Sea, Under Stone, finished 20th December. I wanted to read The Dark Is Rising, over Christmas but discovered that it was book 2 in a series, so I had to read book 1 first.



Winter in Thrush Green, finished 21st December. Another Christmas re-read.



Hard Time, read by Zara Ramm, finished 24th December. I read this in print the day it was published, in October, but I saved the audio version until now - it ends with a lot of snow, so it's a bit Christmassy.



Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories, finished 24th December. A new collection of seasonal stories - just right for the hectic days around Christmas.



The Christmas Mystery, finished 24th December. My Advent Calendar book - Clare and I have been reading it every year for at least twenty years now and she'll be able to start Toby on it next year.



The Ordeal of the Haunted Room, finished 26th December. I never manage to read The Chronicles of St Mary's Christmas story straight away but I managed to find time on Boxing Day this year. I've got the audio version to read later on as well.



A Christmas Carol, read by Hugh Grant, finished 26th December. Audible gave a free copy to subscribers so I thought I'd try it. It's well read, but not as good as my usual version.



A Surprise for Christmas: and Other Seasonal Mysteries, finished 27th December. A good collection of seasonal mysteries.



A Christmas Carol, read by Anton Lesser, finished 28th December. I had to listen to my favourite version.



Crossed Skis, finished 28th December. A winter sports based mystery set in Austria and London (though not in Innsbruck as the cover might indicate).

Crossed Skis was on my Christmas wish list but I didn't get it. Perhaps it will make its way to my library for either my birthday or Thingaversary.

I've set up my 2021 thread here, I hope you'll drop in!

I'm going to finish my 2020 reading here:



The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, finished 30th December. I've read this book many times over the last fifty or so years and it still delights.



366 Days: Compelling Stories From World History, finished 31st December. I like to have a 'diary' book running through the year. This one had a brief account of a historical event for every day of the year, ranging from BCE to recent years. There is another volume - Another 366 Days: More Stories From This Day in History, which will keep me going next year.

So, December round-up:

I finished twenty one books in December; three paper books, nine ebooks and nine audiobooks. There was plenty of Christmas reading so eleven were re-reads but ten were new to me, although no ROOT successes.

That's a total of 227 for the year, not as many as last year but I didn't record all my re-reads so it may be about the same - or even more!

Congratulations on reaching 3 x 75, Kerry!

227 plus sounds like a very reaspectable number to me.

Congratulations on your new grandson. Grandchildren are simply life's best things, aren't they?

Happy New Year!

Kerry

As the year turns, friendship continues