And oof, another week gone! Christmas is creeping closer, for those of us who celebrate — I’m most looking forward to giving people all their gifts, I must admit, though I know a tidy book haul is coming my way as well thanks to my wife. I got the most perfect thing for my sister… ah, but I can’t tell you, she might read this.
It’s been another busy week, with an assignment due yesterday for one of my classes, but now that’s out of the way I’m gearing up for a quiet week or two, I think!
As before, I’ll be linking up with a few different posts: Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.
Books acquired this week:
I split my haul from my trip to Bath into three lots, since I was a little, ah, excessive about it. This is the final bunch, from the lovely bookshop Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights. I wasn’t 100% won over by their fiction section, since books of all genres were jumbled together: even though I read very widely and some would even say randomly, I’m not always in the mood for the same thing. So I pretty much bypassed their fiction selection, sorry to say, picking up only this one which I found in their bibliotherapy room from their list of recommendations:
It’s an Arthurian retelling and prominently features Sir Kay, which means it called out my name right off the bat. I wrote my postgrad dissertation (back when I was doing English Literature) on the character of the Welsh Cei and how it echoed throughout later literature, so I’m interested to see what this one does.
What shone for me at Mr B’s was the selection of non-fiction, and the conversations I had with staff members about the books I was choosing. I’d trust their recommendations for sure. Without further ado, here’s the rest of my haul:
As you can see, I had a heck of a time!
Technically I’ve also just received my British Library Crime Classics subscription book, complete with matching bookmark (which they’ve made smaller now, yay!), free postcard and blackmail note (reproduced from this month’s story), but I’ll keep that for next week to ensure I have something to post…
Posts from this week:
I’m pretty much caught up from all the reviews I wrote while my blog was down, but I’ve kept on reading at pace in the meantime, so here’s a roundup of this week’s reviews:
- The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, by Brandon Sanderson (2/5 stars)
- Phantom Pond, by Juneau Black (3/5 stars)
- Dragon’s Blood & Willow Bark: The Mysteries of Medieval Medicine, by Toni Mount (3/5 stars)
- Peter Cabot Gets Lost, by Cat Sebastian (4/5 stars)
- Who Killed Father Christmas? And Other Seasonal Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards (3/5 stars)
- The Golden Mole And Other Vanishing Treasure, by Katherine Rundell (3/5 stars)
- Clean Room volume 1: Immaculate Conception, by Gail Simone et al (3/5 stars)
And I’ve also posted about some of my (potential) upcoming reads:
What I’m reading:
I’m still trying to make myself finish The Impossible Impostor, by Deanna Raybourn. Having stalled, it’s difficult to nudge myself to get back into it. Still, other than that I’ve been reading a lot, and I have quite a few reviews upcoming for my reads this week. As ever, here’s a sneak preview of the titles/covers:
I did read a couple of volumes of manga as well, but I’m not planning to review them here as I don’t have much to say.
And that’s it for now! How’s everyone else doing? Got any exciting books this week?
I’m intrigued by Bone Chests and Digging Up Britain. Although, neither seems likely to turn up in my local library in Missouri.
Seems doubtful! I liked Jarman’s previous book (River Kings), so I’m very hopeful about The Bone Chests. I’ve started on Digging Up Britain, but I’m taking it slow.
Ummm these nonfiction books look heavenly. Also, this makes me miss Bath, even though I was there for about eight hours only. Such a lovely haul!
Clean Room looks great as well. I haven’t heard of it before, but now I’ll have to be on the lookout for it.
My Sunday Post 🙂 https://backshelfbooks.com/2023/12/17/the-sunday-post-reviewing-and-looking-ahead-12-17-2023/
I got quite a few non-fiction books in the whole trip, which is nice — I don’t always know how to find new stuff I’m interested in, you know? But both Topping & Company and Mr B’s had an excellent selection that was perfect for someone curious about all sorts of things. I could almost have grabbed at random!
Clean Room was very weird and creepy, bit much for me because I don’t love gore, but beautifully drawn/coloured. I don’t regret reading it, even though it wasn’t 100% my thing!
Glad I’m not the only one who holds something back to make sure they have something to post about the next week. And then I laugh at myself because I always have something to post about. But I do it anyway.
Hope you have the quiet couple of weeks you are looking for.
Yeah, I got a new book almost right after the post went up, as one of my bosses sent me a book for Christmas. Typical, I don’t know why I worried.
Thank you!
I’m looking forward to giving everybody their gifts too! I know I’ll be getting a few books, but I have no idea which ones. My wish list is massive.
Mine’s pretty big, too, and my wife does a great job of choosing a range of things that will interest me, so this is going to be good. 😀
I love trees though I’ve had to trim some of them that are too close to the house. Looks like an intriguing book.
I have a friend who loves trees and all kinds of plants, so he’s kinda ignited my curiosity.
The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes looks very interesting!
It really was! I wish it’d had a few more colour plates, but I really liked it. I should post my review soon…
I agree that it was hard to find fiction in Mr B’s Emporium but it was an amazing bookshop despite that. Your non fiction haul looks amazing. I hope you enjoy all of these.
It really is lovely, and I think their recommendations are awesome. I wish they were closer to here so I could visit again!
Wow, that cover on Perilous Times. That would have gotten my attention, even if nothing else looked interesting. Nice find at the store!
It popped out at me because of the cover, I must admit! Then I realised it was about Sir Kay and my fate was sealed…
I’d love to visit Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, even if it was just for the cool name. Look at all those marvelous books you came home with!
I just can’t make myself finish a book I’m not enjoying. If it doesn’t work for me, it’s outta here. lol
Yes! And it’s a lovely shop, to go with it.
I’m pretty quick to DNF a book, but in this case, I’ve really loved the whole series so that’s holding me back. I hear the next book is back on form, so I’m trying to skim this one now!
I used to feel I had to finish a book even if I didn’t like it at all. Now I stop reading if I’m not interested in it after a while. I really want to get a copy of Adrift: The Curious Tale of the Lego Lost at Sea!
Easier said than done when it’s in the middle of a series you otherwise like, especially if the series is a continuous narrative and not a collection of stand-alones. I had the same thing happen to me in a different series, it took me months to finish the book, and then I inhaled the next two books in short order.
I’m usually quick to put down a book I’m just not enjoying, but I’ve really loved the whole series so far, and I hear the next book is better/more the sort of thing I like. So I’m trying to stay the course and get through it!
I hope you enjoy all of these when you get time to read them! Yay for getting your assignments done and (hopefully) enjoying a few quiet weeks. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
It’s been a busy week with Christmas coming, but I’m hoping the weekend will feel a bit more chill! And I know I’ll enjoy Christmas Day.
Quiet weeks are good. and there’s something about finding the perfect gift. 🙂
I love that cover for The Christmas Card Crime. It’s so cozy
It didn’t turn out as quiet as I hoped, but it’s done now and it’s nearly Christmas. I’m excited!
Digging up Britain sounds neat. Hope you enjoy your books and have a great week.
Thank you! I’m enjoying it so far — though I can’t read it when I’m tired because it needs a little attention. Thanks for dropping by!