A selection of quotes and pictures to represent November’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

‘I don’t study paintings from a technical viewpoint, because I don’t know how. I believe that a painting should be a work of beauty, something that you never cease wanting to look at. With too much knowledge you can find fault with each one and it takes away the sheer joy.’

The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley (2024)

~

‘Maybe his conscience got to him,’ suggests Aaron.

‘Maybe,’ I agree. ‘It would be so much easier to go through life if you didn’t have one, don’t you think?’

Fire by John Boyne (2024)

~

There are no words. I cannot describe what happened to my brain. I can only tell my feelings, which never stop. Feelings are beyond words; beyond action; beyond reason. They are the only true and constant indicators we ever have in this cruel life.

What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (2024)

~

What I do know is that all happiness had been torn from within me, leaving an open wound. But an open wound needs to be cauterised and I have become an adept surgeon, worthy of the medical school at the city’s university. Recollections serve no purpose and I shook my head to chase them away.

City of Silk by Glennis Virgo (2024)

~

But lies are so intriguing, aren’t they? Why people tell them, how little they think through the consequences, how desperate they become when in danger of being found out. To my mind, lies are second only to secrets, and those I find deeply exciting.

The Neighbour’s Secret by Sharon Bolton (2024)

~

‘I’ve heard it all before, officer,’ she says sadly to you. ‘When you get to my age, you lose faith in the authorities. Justice is for the rich and powerful.’

Murder in Tinseltown by Max Nightingale (2024)

~

‘The heart of a woman is a strange thing,’ wrote Fryn. ‘Human beings, especially women, are bound not only by money, by loneliness, but by the hope that they are needed.’

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale (2024)

~

Ordinary people. She’d forgotten how often he uses that phrase, always with the same…well, what is it, exactly? Curiosity? Fascination? As if ‘ordinary people’ were some kind of exotic species you’d be lucky to spot twice in a lifetime.

The Voyage Home by Pat Barker (2024)

~

But few human heads are capable of remaining cool under excitement. Those who are not present think how stupid must have been those who were; those who are reflect afterwards how simple it would have been to do this, that, or the other.

The Dancing Partner by Jerome K. Jerome, from Deadly Dolls: Midnight Tales of Uncanny Playthings (2024)

~

I’ve seen photographs of her, naturally, but when you’re young you’re not storing away memories or impressions. Life just washes over you – it happens, uncommented on.

Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd (2024)

~

“We are strangers,” Peter said darkly. “Whom do we know? One – if you’re lucky. Not many more. Looks like we’ve got to learn how we can trust each other. How we can tell…How can we dare…Everything rests on trust between strangers. Everything else is a house of cards.”

Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong (1950)

~

Jeanette looked round, seeing their environment with new eyes. ‘You have a veritable store of tales and legends,’ she said.

‘Everyone should. Stories stir men’s minds, hearts and souls until they become part of it. And then they live in the tale and the tale lives in them – and both become immortal.’

The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick (2024)

~

Eleanor learned another lesson – and that is that the vast majority of people can’t see what’s in front of them. They say they never forget a face, but the same face without makeup, a different setting? John – or Mr Rogers or whoever he really was – was right. It’s easy to become an entirely new person. One only needs audacity…

Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield (2024)

~

‘But drawing is one of the best things in the world! I can’t think how you can live in London and not want to draw! Everything is so beautiful and so interesting I could be drawing for ever. And it is so useful; it helps you to remember what you have seen.’

Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (1964)

~

Favourite book read in November:

Deadly Dolls: Midnight Tales of Uncanny Playthings

Places visited in my November reading:

England, USA, Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, France

Authors read for the first time in November:

Glennis Virgo, Charlotte Armstrong, Clare Whitfield, Max Nightingale, Adèle Geras, Brian Aldiss, Camilla Grudova, Frederick E. Smith, Robert Aickman, Vernon Lee, Ysabelle Cheung

~

Reading notes: November was an excellent month of reading for me. I was able to participate in Novellas in November, Witch Week and Nonfiction November, although I didn’t manage to join in with the other events taking place this month (but I’m halfway through a Margaret Atwood book I picked up for Margaret Atwood Reading Month). Instead, I concentrated on catching up with the books on my NetGalley shelf and am now all up to date for 2024, although I do have some January 2025 releases to read soon.

I have some books lined up for Liz’s Dean Street December, which begins tomorrow, and I’ve already started reading one of them. Also in December, I’ll be posting my annual list of historical fiction to look out for in 2025 as well as choosing my books of the year for 2024!

What did you read in November? Do you have any plans for your December reading?

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent October’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

‘Yet beautiful words are the surest way past science to the real truth of life, just as beautiful paintings are,’ Blake said, watching as I began to pick up the hothouse lilies one by one, trim their stems and put them in the silver vase.

The Bells of Westminster by Leonora Nattrass (2024)

~

I shook off my moment of melancholy and determined not to think of loss. Life held sadness for us all, but there was joy too, and being of an optimistic nature, I would always choose enjoyment over sorrow.

The Lost Queen by Carol McGrath (2024)

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“The evaluation of any work of fiction is to a large extent based on one’s personal preferences. I suggest we all frankly share our opinions, and from there we can discuss fully each other’s views and arrive at a joint conclusion.”

The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (1988)

~

She wore successive states of mind like layers of petticoats picked up and put on at random, so that it was a matter of chance which one was innermost and which would show when she hitched her skirt.

God is an Englishman by RF Delderfield (1970)

~

That evening, in a whirlwind of spite, I turned out our office drawers for more paper to light the fire. Leadership Training Event, Delegation Welcome Pack, Change Management and Synergy Workshops. Was this all we’d done with our lives? It was like mining through layers of igneous rock. If I dug deep enough, perhaps I would get to the core, to the heart of the matter?

The Significance of Swans by Rhiannon Lewis (2024)

~

It was like that for some: coming out of quarantine was almost harder than being in it, When locked in, there were few decisions to make: all you could do was to wait and keep yourself alive in the meantime. Once out, suddenly there was freedom, and with it, choices.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier (2024)

~

Hadn’t she been trying to find him? Trying to find the love and closeness that had been missing between them? True, the way she had chosen to look for it was a twisted, dishonest way; childish, and childishly cruel. She would never look that way again. But there were other ways…honest, adult ways…shining, sunlit ways, strewn with bright canvases, with sawdust and splashes of paint…with laughter and gay discussion far into the night…

Don’t Go to Sleep in the Dark by Celia Fremlin (1970)

~

Politicians don’t have time to look at the world they’re living in. They see the country they’re living in and they see it as one vast electoral platform. That’s quite enough to put on their plates for the time being. They do things which they honestly believe will make things better and then they’re surprised when they don’t make things better because they’re not the things that people want to have.

Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie (1970)

~

Favourite books read in October:

God is an Englishman and Don’t Go to Sleep in the Dark

Authors read for the first time in October:

None this month

Places visited in my October reading:

England, Wales, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Holy Land

~

Reading notes: Apart from the Christie, which was a big disappointment, I enjoyed everything else I read this month. I was pleased to be able to take part in 1970 Club and to read a few more books for this year’s RIP challenge (I managed six in total during September and October). Also this month I celebrated my 15th blog birthday!

November is the busiest month in the book blogging calendar. Nonfiction November is already underway, as is Witch Week, which focuses on Joan Aiken’s work this year. There’s also Novellas in November, SciFi Month, German Literature Month, Margaret Atwood Reading Month and Norway in November – I hope I haven’t missed anything! Will I be able to take part in all of these? I doubt it, but I do have books lined up for at least some of them.

How was your October reading? What do you have planned for November?

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent September’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

“A man is responsible for his deeds, and not just the deeds, but for the consequences of those deeds, as well.”

Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie (1958)

~

Yet there was no such thing in politics as true friendship. There could never be absolute trust, not when one was Prime Minister.

Precipice by Robert Harris (2024)

~

She remembered something her revered German teacher at Oxford, Cecil Fairfax, liked to say. That there were two kinds of people, those who made something of their life and those to whom life merely happened.

Midnight in Vienna by Jane Thynne (2024)

~

Had she but known it, it was the happiest time of her life. If there were only some guide near us all, to cry halt when we reach the summit of our joy, to say, ‘Pause here, do not waste time looking back, do not try to rush forward, for there is nothing better to come,’ how different life might be!

Tales Accursed: A Folk Horror Anthology selected by Richard Wells (2024)
Quote from The Country-Side by Elinor Mordaunt (1917)

~

The speaker said life is about change. That’s how we grow and develop, but to change we have to let go of the past. Most of us, she said, are bad at this, especially when a situation that was good turns bad. We cling to the past and deny the need for change, telling ourselves everything is as fine as it ever was, when it isn’t.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett (2024)

~

Favourite books read in September:

The Examiner, Precipice and Midnight in Vienna

Authors read for the first time in September:

Jane Thynne, Fiona Macleod, AC Benson, Algernon Blackwood, Elinor Mordaunt, Ulric Daubeny, Margery Lawrence, MR James, Eleanor Scott, Frederick Cowles, HR Wakefield, William Croft Dickinson, LTC Rolt

Places visited in my September reading:

England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Austria

~

Reading notes: I didn’t finish many books this month, for various reasons, but I enjoyed most of what I did read and that’s more important. I also have a long list of new-to-me authors read for the first time this month, thanks to the short story anthology Tales Accursed. As you can see, I’m behind with reviews again but will try to catch up with those in October. Also in October, I will be joining in with 1970 Club hosted by Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings and Stuck in a Book, and have already started my first book for that event.

How was your September? What will you be reading in October?

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent August’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

It was the end of August – the time when owls hoot at night and flurries of bats swoop noiselessly over the garden. Moomin Wood was full of glow-worms, and the sea was disturbed. There was expectation and a certain sadness in the air, and the harvest moon came up huge and yellow. Moomintroll had always liked those last weeks of summer most, but he didn’t really know why.

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson (1948)

~

Freedom of speech, in advance of experience, will lead you into saying some foolish things, while freedom of thought may run you into irreparable errors – of which the greatest is supposing that love is a matter for the scientists and doctors.

Miss Granby’s Secret: or the Bastard of Pinsk by Eleanor Farjeon (1941)

~

Sheltered in the old boys’ bonhomie of the Flying Corps, he had been slow to realize how much more character was worth than pedigree. But rubbing up against all sorts and depending on the man next to you, he had come to see that competence, decency, and grit were not the sole purview, or even the natural gifts, of the well-born.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson (2024)

~

Now I am doing the thinking.

‘So are you saying that perhaps a home does not need a roof?’

‘Perhaps not, Tibb. And besides, home can be a person as much as a place.’

A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike (2024)

~

Freedom is never absolute, it seems, and therefore escape, despite what they tell you, yields no final destination.

In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas (2023)

~

‘But you know everything,’ Mary countered.

‘Some knowledge is not mine to impart,’ he replied, and would say no more.

Mary I: Queen of Sorrows by Alison Weir (2024)

~

‘Some parts I still remember. Like the part about the candle flame that does not lose its brilliance till the moment it’s extinguished, and how, like that candle, we all carry flames of truth within us, and of justice, that should only be extinguished by our deaths. Yet, see how easily a candle is put out.’ She took the pewter snuffer in her hand and killed a flame. ‘And so it is with truth, and justice,’ Anna said. ‘Especially with justice.’

The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley (2024)

~

“It’s human nature to overcomplicate what is fundamentally simple,” said Spector. “Magicians know that. We thrive on the knowledge. And so – in some instances – do killers.”

Cabaret Macabre by Tom Mead (2024)

~

It’s astonishing what the human heart will do to make allegiances. Loneliness is a kind of glue that can bind us to the most unlikely strangers.

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley (2019)

~

‘There are other ways to rule. Sometimes the true power is in the shadows. Someone who stays out of the light, and watches others shrivel and burn in its glare.’

Hera by Jennifer Saint (2024)

~

‘A panther isn’t the same as a monkey,’ Gerard said after a pause. ‘But is either one less than the other? A stupid question, you’ll say, and rightly so. The same applies to human beings. Being different – that’s normal. Everybody’s a little different from everybody else. I’m not the same as you. As for being less or more important on account of the colour of your skin or who your father is – that’s nonsense. Oeroeg is your friend, isn’t he? And if you can be friends with him, how he can he possibly be less than you or anybody else?’

The Black Lake by Hella S. Haasse (1948)

~

The joy of history is it’s everything that ever happened and everyone who has ever lived. Whatever your story is or was, it is worthy of being told.

Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives by Alice Loxton (2024)

~

Favourite books read in August:

The King’s Messenger and Cabaret Macabre

Authors read for the first time in August:

Rosanna Pike, Eleanor Farjeon, Kai Thomas, Alice Loxton, Tove Jansson

Countries visited in my August reading:

England, Canada, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Indonesia, Greece

~

Reading notes: August has been mainly devoted to completing my 20 Books of Summer list and also taking part in two reading events – Women in Translation Month and Moomin Week. It’s been a varied month, with a mixture of historical fiction, non-fiction, children’s fiction, mythology and crime! I’m also pleased that I could add Swedish and Dutch to my list of languages read in translation this year.

In September I’m looking forward to some suitably autumnal reading as this year’s R.I.P. challenge begins. I’ll post more about that soon, as well as a look back at my 20 Books of Summer reading.

How was your August? What are you planning to read in September?

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent July’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

To know when to use the truth was the essence of successful deception.

N or M? by Agatha Christie (1941)

~

“Mom says life isn’t fair and that’s all there is to it.”

“Your mother says that to justify the fact that she isn’t being fair to you,” Mrs Grace said calmly. “Which is mostly what people mean when they say ‘life isn’t fair’. It isn’t, which is why people should endeavor to be more fair to one another, not less.”

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (2024)

~

No harm in that, thought Gabriel. I, too, read to escape; and dreams are so often more satisfying than the reality that awaits us when we stop reading.

A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith (2024)

~

“And while I was becoming interested in the business, I discovered something else: some books are for selling and others are for keeping. Becoming a book collector is like joining a religion: it’s for life.”

The Dumas Club by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (1993)

~

‘Travelling is all very well,’ she said at last, ‘but it is a fine thing to have a home.’

The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden (2024)

~

‘I’ll give you a rule, Edward, one your father taught me, take it to heart. Only fight when you have to. Though always look ready, and as if you would win.’

The King’s Mother by Annie Garthwaite (2024)

~

That Lady Blakeney was in love with her own husband, nobody could fail to see, and in the more frivolous cliques of fashionable London this extraordinary phenomenon had oft been eagerly discussed.

“A monstrous thing, of a truth, for a woman of fashion to adore her own husband!” was the universal pronouncement of the gaily-decked little world that centred around Carlton House and Ranelagh.

The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (1908)

~

I could see that, on their own, fine words of regret and sorrow were not enough but I couldn’t help but feel that if truly meant, they were the start, otherwise there was no acceptance of wrongdoing.

House of Shades by Lianne Dillsworth (2024)

~

Favourite books read this month:

The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst and A Case of Mice and Murder

Authors read for the first time this month:

Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Sally Smith

Places visited in this month’s reading:

England, US, Spain, Portugal, France

~

Reading Notes: My 20 Books of Summer reading is continuing to go well: I have now read 16 books from my list and have reviewed 14 of them. I think I actually have a good chance of completing this challenge for the first time ever! I was pleased that I also managed to fit in a book for Spanish and Portuguese Lit Month (the Pérez-Reverte), even if it wasn’t a complete success.

In August, as well as trying to complete my 20 Books of Summer I’m looking forward to joining in with Moomin Week and have Finn Family Moomintroll lined up for it. It’s also Women in Translation Month, so the Moomins book will count towards that – and maybe I’ll also have time for The Black Lake by Hella S. Haasse.

How was your July? What are you planning to read in August?

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent June’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

Houses have their own personalities. Or, at the very least, a house and its inhabitants cannot escape each other’s mutual influence over their many years in each other’s company.

The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi (1949)

~

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Neither,” he said. “It’s just different. The trick is to learn to work with the change, rather than around it. If you spend all your time trying to ignore it or avoid it, you’ll never get anything done.”

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron (2024)

~

‘And some rules of taste are poor, indeed the very obsession with taste is absurd, as if there can be only one flavour or fashion, and all must follow it like sheep in a field being chased by a dog. Variety and unconvention are at the heart of all new art and science, and I fear that we live in an age where people are too inclined to follow fashion.’

A Woman of Opinion by Sean Lusk (2024)

~

I loved the odour of lavender. Smells, almost more than noises, seem to bring on the happiness or unhappiness memories. You might not remember what it was about a smell that made you angry at the time, or afraid, but as soon as you come across it again you are angry or fearful.

Thomasina by Paul Gallico (1957)

~

‘But I hate surprises.’ She nestled closer to him. ‘I always like to know what’s happening.’

‘Then I pity you, for you have never appreciated the joy of anticipation, or had a good surprise.’

The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal (2024)

~

‘Though we can’t travel the world, we can still be curious as to how the earth is shaped. I learnt cartography from a master who had never left the small island of his birth, barely ten miles across. “Everything you need,” he used to say to me, “is here beneath your feet, but it will take two lifetimes to understand it.”

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks (2024)

~

‘Is it true?’ he asks.

Her mouth twists into a sad smile. ‘Truth and lies are closer than you think. Often, what one man believes to be true, another deems outrageously false.’

Babylonia by Costanza Casati (2024)

~

“A knowledge of human nature – what a dangerous thing it can be.”

“A useful thing,” corrected Mr Satterthwaite.

“Perhaps. It depends upon the point of view.”

Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie (1934)

~

‘Your logic may well be right, but governments are not like that. In this world of men, a government cannot embody justice.’

The Meiji Guillotine Murders by Futaro Yamada (1979)

~

‘Life is a journey, just like this,’ Bishop Larsen said, settling onto his seat. He pointed ahead. ‘We all reach a fork in the road, exactly like that one, do you see? One path goes through the wheat fields and all the way to Copenhagen. The other path leads up to the cliff edge, which is a treacherous place to be. Think about which path you would like to be on, your Royal Highness.’

The King’s Witches by Kate Foster (2024)

~

Favourite books read this month:

The Noh Mask Murder, Babylonia, A Woman of Opinion and Thomasina

Authors read for the first time this month:

Akimitsu Takagi, Briony Cameron, Paul Gallico, Sarah Brooks, Futaro Yamada, Kate Foster

Places visited in this month’s reading:

Japan, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Scotland, England, Russia, China, Turkey, Denmark, Assyrian Empire

~

Reading Notes: June has been devoted to reading books from my 20 Books of Summer list and I’m pleased to report that I’ve now read ten of them and reviewed seven! This gives me a lot of confidence that I actually have a chance of completing the challenge this year, but that will depend on whether I get distracted by other books in July and August. I’m also happy to see that I’ve read about so many different countries this month – and that two of the books I read were translations.

In July, Stu is hosting Spanish/Portuguese Lit Month and Words and Peace is hosting Paris in July. As we’re halfway through the year, it also means it’s time for Six in Six again!

How was your June? What are you planning to read in July?

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent May’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

~

‘I know,’ I admit. ‘But it’s how I feel. I can’t rationalize it. The truth is, I’ve always thought that if you can explain why you love someone, then you probably don’t.’

Earth by John Boyne (2024)

~

But with maturity comes the understanding that a woman must absorb the difficulties and trials of life. They will always be there. Happiness is not a gift that comes to us without pain.

A Court of Betrayal by Anne O’Brien (2024)

~

To remember a person is the most important thing in the novels of Alexandre Dumas. The worst sin anyone can commit is to forget.

The Black Count by Tom Reiss (2012)

~

When one looks back upon one’s time on Earth – across the span of years and decisions that have carried one from birth to wherever one is now – it is nigh impossible to point out a single particular moment and say, ‘Yes, here. This is where it all began to go wrong.’ But still one tries. One inspects the tapestry for the pattern, for the loose thread.

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis (2024)

~

‘A fish and bird may fall in love, but in whose world can they live? Air or water, whichever they choose, one will surely drown.’

A Plague of Serpents by KJ Maitland (2024)

~

Joy always surprised her, peeking as it did through the cracks in her life. She didn’t know pleasure well enough to call it by name.

The Angel Makers by Patti McCracken (2023)

~

It was something that had never occurred to me before: we all had the power to change our pasts, our beginnings – or our perception of them, at least – but none of us could determine how our stories would end.

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng (2023)

~

‘Do you not know, my friend, that each one of us is a dark mystery, a maze of conflicting passions and desires and attitudes? Mais oui, c’est vrai. One makes one’s little judgements – but nine times out of ten one is wrong.’

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (1933)

~

‘There’s no use knowing how to speak Latin if the language of friendship is beyond you,’ observes the countess. ‘And you cannot profess to understand poetry, or literature, if you have not experienced the emotions that inspired the words.’

The Nightingale’s Castle by Sonia Velton (2024)

~

‘She is coming home. It’s a year since I saw her last, but really I find that nobody ever changes – that we all contain ourselves from the day we are born.’

Enlightenment by Sarah Perry (2024)

~

Finished with his task, he glanced back at her. ‘You cannot shape the world, Miss Symonds. It will always shape you, instead. How many like what remains, when the world is done with them?’

The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews (2024)

~

Favourite books read in May:

A Court of Betrayal and The Angel Makers

Authors read for the first time in May:

Carmella Lowkis, Tom Reiss, Patti McCracken

Places visited in my May reading:

England, Ireland, France, Saint-Domingue, Hungary, Malaysia

~

Reading notes: I spent May catching up with books on my NetGalley shelf and also managed to fit in a Christie novel for the Read Christie challenge. In June, I’ll be focusing mainly on reading books from my 20 Books of Summer list and there’s also Mallika’s Reading the Meow week to look forward to.

How was your May? What are you planning to read in June?