Weekend Bookishness

It’s been a busy month – and some, so I’m glad that school breaks up at the end of next week (although I have two or three more days work to do on the school magazine after that).

hollyHowever, part of that busy-ness has been the Christmas edition of Shiny New Books. In The Eds Discuss article, you’ll gather that change is afoot, as Victoria and Simon are both stepping down as editors after three wonderful years. I’m so grateful to them both for their fab-u-lous contributions. Harriet and I will carry on (and hope that they will still do some reviews for us), but in a new format which we’re planning – more in the new year. Thank you so much to all three of my co-editors!

33-revMeanwhile I’d like to highlight three of my reviews there:

  • 33 Revolutions by Canek Sanchez Guevara is a little novella by Che’s grandson and utterly worth reading. A prose poem in vignettes that is a state of the nation critique seen through the increasingly disillusioned eyes of a young Cuban man. Howard Curtis translates seamlessly. (10/10)
  • A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. The follow-up to her acclaimed The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. It stands alone, despite starting immediately where the first book left off. You’ll want to read both if this is your kind of thing though. Who knew that science fiction could be so much fun!
  • dont-turn-out-the-lightsDon’t Turn Out the Lights by Bernard Minier – the third in his Commandant Servaz series. A gory French chiller in the mold of Pierre Lemaitre that opera fans will enjoy! I want to read the first two now.

* * * * *

tbr-final-dareIn years gone by James at James Reads Books has run the TBR Dare – a challenge cum dare to read only from your TBR from Jan 1 to Mar 31. It ran for 3 years, and he said last year was the last time.

I haven’t heard that he is running it again, but I am planning to do it just the same next year. I’ve asked James if anyone is taking it over – I’m happy to if the answer is no. Watch this space!

* * * * *

Meanwhile, I’m attempting to fit some more non-fiction into my end of the year reading to bolster up my stats – which showed that I’ve read under 10% non-fiction this year – so far! I’m enjoying it too.

I also want to fit in reading the new OUP edition of Homer’s Odyssey translated by Anthony Verity in a lovely hardback which I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy.

Ideal Christmas present material…

3 thoughts on “Weekend Bookishness

  1. james b chester says:

    Please, by all means. I would be pleased to know that the TBR Dare lives on here at your blog. I ran it more than three years, by the way. I think it went six years, maybe more. I worked up to Triple Dog Dare at least once.

    Please let me know if you do set it all up. I think I’d like to join in. I have been looking forward to reading all my own books for a few months.

    • AnnaBookBel says:

      I thought it went for longer than 3 yrs! I

      I’ll ask Lizzysiddal if she’d like to co-host. Thank you.

Leave a Reply