I’ve been wondering whether or not to continue with these posts in 2012 – I do find it useful to look back on my reading at the end of every month but I don’t know if my summaries are of much interest to anyone else. What do you think? And if you have your own blog do you post your own monthly (or weekly) reading summary or round-up?

My favourite books read in October:

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick was the first book I finished in October and The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas was the last one – and both are in my top three books read this month. I also loved The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt (which I’m pleased about as I wasn’t sure I would like it!) and I’ll be posting my thoughts on that one in the next few days.

Other October reading:

Last Tuesday I took part in the Classics Circuit Gothic Literature Tour with a post on Ann Radcliffe’s 18th century novel A Sicilian Romance. I read a couple of other classics in October too: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, which was a very entertaining read, and Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy, a good book but my least favourite Hardy novel so far.

Also in October, I read my second Bryant and May mystery, The Water Room by Christopher Fowler, and I learned about Kat Ashley in The Queen’s Governess by Karen Harper. I participated in Discovering Daphne month by reading The Loving Spirit by Daphne du Maurier and I explained why The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern left me with mixed feelings.

There were also a few more books I read in October that I haven’t had time to write about yet. These were We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, The Land of Green Ginger by Winifred Holtby and Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (this one was actually a re-read, although the first time I read it was so long ago I had completely forgotten most of the plot).

Have you read any of these books? Was October a good month for you?

September was a good month for me – I read twelve books and enjoyed all but one of them. Choosing my favourites wasn’t easy, but I think these were the four that really stood out:

The American Boy by Andrew Taylor – 19th century setting, gothic atmosphere, mystery and adventure, even Edgar Allan Poe. This book was perfect for me!
Florence and Giles by John Harding – A great gothic story inspired by The Turn of the Screw.
Awakening by S.J. Bolton – The second book I’ve read by S.J. Bolton and I’ve loved both. I’m looking forward to reading her other two books soon.
The Ghost Writer by John Harwood – I was very impressed by this book, especially considering I had never even heard of it until I picked it up in the library. I’ll be posting my thoughts on this one soon.

Other books read in September

The Obscure Logic of the Heart by Priya Basil
Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
Theodora by Stella Duffy
Devil Water by Anya Seton
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
Ragnarok: the End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt (thoughts coming soon)
Uncle Silas by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (thoughts coming soon)

Although I limited myself to picking four favourites this month, I did enjoy all of these books with the exception of The Last Dickens, which was slightly disappointing.

Plans for October

This month Simon of Savidge Reads and Polly of Novel Insights are celebrating the work of one of my favourite authors, Daphne du Maurier, with a “Discovering Daphne” event. I managed to find a copy of The Loving Spirit at the library this morning and will hopefully be starting it this week.

I’ve also signed up for this month’s Classics Circuit tour, which has a gothic literature theme this time. I’m reading A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe for the tour and will be posting on October 25th.

What else am I reading this month? Well, I’m halfway through The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern at the moment. I’ve been seeing this one mentioned everywhere and couldn’t resist it any longer! I also need to read my next book for the Transworld challenge, The Water Room by Christopher Fowler.

Did you have a good September? What are you reading in October?

For me August was the month when I finally started to catch up with all those outstanding reviews! I read eleven books and have posted my thoughts on ten of them. I know I still have a few books to write about from July, but at least I didn’t get any further behind!

Here are three of my favourite books read in August:

I read two books by Jude Morgan in August. I loved them both but The Taste of Sorrow, a novel about the Brontës, interested me slightly more than Passion, which is about the Romantic Poets. The House by the Sea was the first book I’ve read by Santa Montefiore and was a perfect summer read. And The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark was my first choice for the Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge. It’s a great historical fiction novel set in India, with some beautiful and vivid descriptions of the country.

Other books read:

Possession by A.S. Byatt
When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
Princes in the Land by Joanna Cannan
The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier
On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry (Review coming soon)

I hope you all had a great August and have some good books planned for September. Now that summer is coming to an end I’m looking forward to some atmospheric, autumnal reading for the R.I.P. Challenge!

Another month over and another ‘Reading Summary’. I loved so many of the books I read in July that I’ve found it almost impossible to choose just two or three favourites like I usually do…so instead I’ve chosen six.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson – I was worried this book might not live up to the hype, but I loved it and couldn’t put it down.
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy – one of the Hardy books I was most looking forward to reading and it didn’t disappoint.
Therese Raquin by Emile Zola – my first experience of Zola. I was very impressed and will definitely be reading more of his work.

I also read three books set during World War II and all three were among my favourite books of the month too.

The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons – a great story about an Austrian girl working as a maid in England during the war.
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer – I started reading this in June and finally finished it this month. It’s a long book but I thought it was definitely worth the time and effort.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford – I’d been wanting to read this one for ages, so I was pleased to find I loved it as much as I’d hoped I would!

Other books read this month:

The Somnambulist by Essie Fox
The Road to Wanting by Wendy Law-Yone
Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer
The Swimmer by Roma Tearne
Burned by Thomas Enger
The Observations by Jane Harris
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
The Birth of Love by Joanna Kavenna
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin
The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick

All outstanding reviews have been written and will hopefully be posted in the next few weeks, so you shouldn’t have long to wait to find out what I thought about all of these books.

What have you been reading in July? Which books do you hope to read in August?

I had mixed feelings about my June reading – there were some books that I loved and others that I didn’t enjoy very much at all. I read 13 books and 7 were by authors who were new to me. My reading took me to Sweden, England, Sierra Leone, America and Italy. As usual I haven’t had time to post my thoughts on all of these books yet, so if there are any you’re particularly interested in please let me know and I’ll try to make those reviews a priority.

Favourite books read in June

I enjoyed Dr Thorne by Anthony Trollope as much as the other two Trollope books I’ve read and I’m now really looking forward to Framley Parsonage, the next in the Barsetshire series. On Wednesday I explained why I loved Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir – definitely one of my favourite books of the month! And I finished The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin just in time for it to be included in my June summary. Hopefully I’ll be posting my review of this wonderful Scandinavian crime novel within the next few days.

Other books read in June

The Map of Time by Felix Palma
Rule Britannia by Daphne du Maurier
Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
Daphne by Justine Picardie
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie
The Small Hand by Susan Hill
Grace Williams Says It Loud by Emma Henderson

Did you read any great books in June? What are you looking forward to reading in July?

Here we are at the end of another month! I didn’t read as many books as I have in previous months, but where books are concerned, quality is more important than quantity and I loved almost everything I read in May.

Favourite books read in May

Choosing my favourites was difficult this month because, as I said, I enjoyed all nine books that I read. However, there are two that stand out from the rest: the first was Gillespie and I by Jane Harris (I posted my review yesterday) and the other was The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, which I hope to be posting about soon.

Other books read in May

Touch by Alexi Zentner
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor
Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
The Report by Jessica Francis Kane
A Word Child by Iris Murdoch
Orlando by Virginia Woolf

I’ve also been reading Dr Thorne by Anthony Trollope, a few chapters per week, and although I’m only halfway through I’m enjoying it as much as the other Trollope books I’ve read.

How was your month? Did you read any good books in May?