In February I read 13 books, a great total for me, out of which five were published by independent publishers for Kaggsy and Lizzy Siddall’s #ReadIndies month. The date for submitting reviews has been extended to 6 March (read more here) which makes me glad as I do have one (and one non-indie) book left to review that I read in February!
I realise with horror that the TBR starts with the same book it started with in February – however, I read books from all through the front shelf for #ReadIndies and so it definitely has a few extra on the right-hand side of the front shelf and has lost the mini-pile on the back row caused by there not being enough room for everything. So, all good. Honest. I did read a couple of Kindle books, too.
Coming up I have quite the reading roster! As well as the three review books in the right-hand pile to get finished and reviewed, I have Attila the Stockbroker’s new Collected Poems, “Heart on my Sleeve” which is launching on March 06 – I purchased it direct from his Bandcamp page although you can pre-order from all the usual outlets. Then I have my two Anne Tylers for the month, “Celestial Navigation” and “Searching for Caleb” (I have a new copy of the latter on its way as this one is really tatty and has an inscription from someone who is no longer in my life!).
I’m very happy to be able to take part in Dewithon21, otherwise known as Welsh Reading Month, in March (I can only seem to do one out of this and Read Ireland every March). More info here from BookJotter. Mike Parker’s “On the Red Hill”, about two gay couples who inhabit a house in the Welsh hills, I bought a good while ago when it came to my attention, and I purchased Will Hayward’s “Lockdown Wales” from indie publisher Seren Books earlier this month because I’ve been working on a book project about Wales and the Lockdown came up a lot, so I thought it would be a good memento – I’m not buying many lockdown books but this seemed very apt.
I’ll also be reading “Unspoken” by Guvna B, from NetGalley. Subtitled “Toxic Masculinity and How I Faced the Man Within the Man”, it’s the story of his upbringing on a London council estate and his engagement with the masculinities found there, and looks to be a profound and interesting book.
I’m not sure what else I will be reading apart from these nine books!! But I will definitely try to read some from my print TBR and some from my electronic one, both of which have grown, one a little more than the other …
Incomings
I had a lovely book post day on Friday when my Attila book arrived, and so did two books from lovely Kaggsy of the Bookishramblings (thank you!)
“Life in Translation” by Anthony Ferner is a novel about a translator which Heaven-Ali originally read and sent to Kaggsy, but I’d also put my name in the hat for it and so here it is! And Charlie Hill’s “I Don’t Want to go to the Taj Mahal” is a memoir of his upbringing in Moseley, the next-door suburb of Birmingham to mine (he’s also a friend of a friend) is one that Ali and I both want to read … Actually I must remember that at least one of those will work for Novellas in November when that rolls around …
Then I have won another NetGalley book, even though I’m trying to be careful with how many I request, having got my reviewing percentage safely above 80%. Anita Sethi’s “I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain”, published in June, details her recovery from a racially motivated attack when she was walking in Northern England via keeping on getting out there and walking the Pennine Way, as a reassertion of her right as a brown woman to live in the UK and tread its open spaces. What a lovely cover and I’m very much looking forward to this, as I don’t feel I’ve explored much nature writing by Global Majority People.
And then, even though I very rarely use Amazon for print books, those 99p Kindle sales do appear to have got me rather, recently. Just this month, this has happened.
All but one of them are memoirs; I do have a thing for memoirs. “Boy Out of Time” by Hari Ziyad is a memoir of growing up Black and queer in Cleveland Ohio; Louise Wener’s “Just for One Day: Adventures in Britpop” and Bruce Dickinson’s “What Does This Button Do” offer very different music memoirs, the first about being in the band Sleeper (this was previously published as “Different for Girls”) and the second about being the front man of heavy metal band Iron Maiden as well as a pilot and radio presenter). Uzma Jalaluddin’s “Ayesha at Last” is a “Pride and Prejudice” retelling based in the Toronto Muslim community, Lee Mack’s “Mack the Life” is the comedian’s memoir and Pete Paphides’ “Broken Greek” tells of a life in music journalism that starts off in a chip shop a couple of miles from where I live. Fairly varied, then!
How was your February reading? Are you taking part in Dewithon or Reading Ireland Month, or any other Months?
imogenglad
Mar 01, 2021 @ 10:09:59
I’m a sucker for those Kindle deals too… Then I forget I have them 😬. As ever, I’m impressed with your discipline in tracking your TBR!!
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imogenglad
Mar 01, 2021 @ 10:10:27
I meant to put tackling but tracking works too!!
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:15:21
I was wondering about that, because I very much do NOT track my Kindle one!!
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imogenglad
Mar 03, 2021 @ 20:44:33
😂
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wadholloway
Mar 01, 2021 @ 10:22:59
I have books all over the place that I am yet to read, though I’ve all but given up buying new releases. And yes that includes my kindle – often books on Project Gutenberg that I’ve liked the look of; and my Audible ‘library’ which grows all the time (classics and SF mostly). I blew up your photo but still couldn’t see – what are the three grey books?
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:17:43
I manage to keep the TBR in one place (well, two places, real and electronic) as I find it concentrates the mind. But I have lots of books on the shelves I want to re-read!
Those three grey Persephone books are Elizabeth von Arnim’s Expiation, Stella Currey’s One Woman’s Year and Elisabeth de Waal’s Milton Place.
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wadholloway
Mar 01, 2021 @ 10:24:47
And I’m reading for a ‘month’ for once: Kimbofo’s Southern Cross Crime Fiction Month (March) at Reading Matters.
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:18:06
Nice, hope the crime isn’t too horrid, though!
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Cathy746books
Mar 01, 2021 @ 13:11:51
I’d say that Louise Wener book will be very interesting!
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:18:26
Yes, I’m looking forward to that one.
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Jane
Mar 01, 2021 @ 18:01:58
Thanks for the reminder about Broken Greek, I had forgotten that I meant to read it!
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:18:43
Glad to be of service!!
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kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 01, 2021 @ 18:37:16
Hurrah! So glad the books arrived safely! 😀 And #ReadIndies has been marvellous, although February hasn’t been long enough. Here’s to reading Indies all year round!
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:19:22
So sorry I didn’t manage to email you to say thank you – so rude! – and also I haven’t added all my indie reads to your Linky thing yet. Bad book blogger and friend!!
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kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 04, 2021 @ 13:58:14
No worries – it’s so manic at the moment!
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aliterarybent
Mar 01, 2021 @ 22:31:57
I admire your dedication 13 books in the month of February is good going. I struggle to get through 4 or 5 a month. My TBR list gets longer as I can’t resist picking up more books when I see bookstores, library discard sales and charity shops with a good supply of cheap, well loved, books. Oh dear!
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:20:31
I was chatting to a friend the other day while running and we both admitted that getting into the charity shops for a good poke around was top of our post-covid list after hugging relatives, etc! I do miss the charity shops but it keeps the incomings down a bit. I only actually finished 12, I thought I was going to finish the one I was reading and I did not.
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FictionFan
Mar 02, 2021 @ 01:22:34
The Kindle sales are killers, and since I renewed my subscription to Audible a few months ago I’ve discovered they’re just as bad! Still at least none of them take up space on the shelves… 😉
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:21:29
My husband has a large Audible shelf (or whatever) as he has a subscription to get them cheaper then every so often has to choose a million or lose them! And Kindle sales are evil. Ah well. It’s only books, right?
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DHQ: Dewithon 2021 – Book Jotter
Mar 02, 2021 @ 09:58:31
Ste J
Mar 02, 2021 @ 10:16:59
I always love reading about your eclectic mix of books. Recently I have been reading another book about Chernobyl, it’s compelling but grim stuff.
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:21:50
Oh goodness! I’m glad you enjoy my TBR though!
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Lisbeth Ekelöf
Mar 03, 2021 @ 13:56:56
13 books are good. I managed 12 in January but only 5 in February. Good so. They all count. Looking forward to the two next Anne Tyler books for March.
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Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:22:33
To my shame, it was actually 12 as I thought I was going to finish one with only two short chapters to go and did not. Oh well! I am looking forward to my Anne Tylers and my new copy of Caleb arrived yesterday.
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heavenali
Mar 03, 2021 @ 19:47:12
You had an excellent February. #ReadIndies was fun, I’m hoping they do it every year.
Really hope you enjoy Life in Translation, I enjoyed it much more than I expected. I think you will too.
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Liz Dexter
Mar 04, 2021 @ 21:17:55
I’m looking forward to that, although it’s tucked in at the back of the TBR … (I do have a SPACE on the front shelf at the moment, though!!).
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Nicola
Mar 05, 2021 @ 12:44:38
I love Searching for Caleb, I think it’s where Tyler really moved from a good writer to a great writer. Loved the detective character in this.
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Liz Dexter
Mar 07, 2021 @ 17:14:13
I’m finding Celestial Navigation is a step forward with the first-person narratives and shifting viewpoints, and looking forward to Caleb.
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Cari
Mar 05, 2021 @ 17:09:57
I have Black Boy out of Time too from Kindle First, but couldn’t get to it last monht. Hyphens & Hashtags (from your shelfie) looks interesting too. Lots of Kindle Unlimited trash, but it’s reading so counting it.
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Liz Dexter
Mar 07, 2021 @ 17:15:04
The last really light read I tried I gave up on! I am looking forward to Black Boy out of Time, and Hyphens does look brilliant and will be up soon, I think as soon as I finish my Anne Tyler.
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Thomas
Mar 07, 2021 @ 19:07:34
Ooooh love this reading progress thanks for sharing Liz! Black Boy Out of Time looks interesting and I’m curious to read what you make of it. The book has some mixed reviews/ratings on Goodreads though I’m not sure how much of that may stem from racism. So I’m looking forward to your take. Unfortunately I don’t feel like 2021 has really wow’ed me so far in terms of books. There have been a couple of five-star nonfiction reads about social justice-related topics but the fiction has been kinda meh. So fingers crossed for better reads in the future. (:
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Liz Dexter
Mar 08, 2021 @ 06:58:08
All the really good novels I’ve loved this year were published in the 1930s and 1940s!! Not sure what that says really …
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State of the TBR – April 2021 plus a few #bookconfessions | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Apr 01, 2021 @ 12:32:12
Book review – Charlie Hill – “I Don’t Want to go to the Taj Mahal” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Nov 16, 2021 @ 08:03:41