Tag: 2019

This is going to be a huge post as I gave up making monthly updates!

April

Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
The Safe Man by Michael Connelly
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
The Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The New Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Sixth Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Witchcraft by Anastasia Greyleaf
The Last Place by Laura Lippman
Whisky From Small Glasses by Denzil Meyrick
The Overlook by Michael Connelly
All of a Winter’s Night by Phil Rickman
Gallowstree Lane by Kate London
Carved in Darkness by Maegan Beaumont
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
The Anglo-Saxon Age by John Blair
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Blood Men by Paul Cleave
Thrill Seeker by Kristina Lloyd
Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost by Lucy Banks
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
Dead Simple by Peter James
The Case of the Deadly Doppelganger by Lucy Banks
Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton
The Black Box by Michael Connelly
Saxons vs. Vikings by Ed West
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
Snuff by Terry Pratchett

34 for the month

May

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Anthem by Neal Stephenson
The Case of the Hidden Daemon by Lucy Banks
The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
Witchery by Juliet Diaz
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
Shadows by John Saul
The Complete Merrily Watkins Series by Phil Rickman
Liar Liar by James Patterson
Each Man Kills by David Barry
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Not Dead Enough by Peter James
Haunted Nights by Lisa Morton
Property of a Lady by Sarah Rayne
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
The Drop by Michael Connelly
Death is Not the Answer by Anjali Chhabria
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout
The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett
Looking Good Dead by Peter James

23 for the month

June

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Artifical Condition by Martha Wells
Witchbody by Sabrina Scott
Toil & Trouble by Jessica Spotswood
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmerman
Dragon’s Kin by Anne McCaffrey
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
Enchantments by Mya Spalter
Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly
Switchblade by Michael Connelly
The Crossing by Michael Connelly
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

15 for the month

July

Cleaning the Gold by Karin Slaughter & Lee Child
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
All the Names They Used for God by Anjali Sachdeva
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Becoming Dangerous by Katie West
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
House of Fate by Barbara Ann Wright
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day
Artemis by Andy Weir

12 for the month

August

The Complete History of New Zealand (in less than two hours) by Peter Jessup
Discover Your Roots by Paul Blake
Building the New World by Erik Olssen
Over the Wide and Trackless Sea by Megan Hutching
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
From Alba to Aotearoa by Rebecca Lenihan
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com by Nancy Hendrickson
Rants in the Dark by Emily Writes
Wicca by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors by Ian Maxwell
Tar Baby by Toni Morrison
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Breaking the Lore by Andy Redsmith
Know Your Rites by Andy Redsmith
Starlings by Jo Walton
The Merciless by Daniell Vega
The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
Spell on Wheels by Kate Leth
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

20 for the month

September

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott
That Old Black Magic by Cathi Unsworth
Who Do You Think You Are? by Nick Barratt
Monster-Sized Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff
For Kicks by Dick Francis
Even Money by Dick Francis
Steel Magic by Andre Norton
The Basis of Everything by Andrew Ramsey
No Idle Rich by Jim McAloon
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
The Real Witches of New England by Ellen Evert Hopman
The Secret Country of Yourself by Jenya T. Beachy
Odds Against by Dick Francis
Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng
Whip Hand by Dick Francis
Come to Grief by Dick Francis
Dead Heat by Dick Francis
Gamble by Felix Francis
Tracing your Family History on the Internet by Chris Paton
A Burden Shared by Jo Walton
Bloodline by Felix Francis
Settlers by Jock Phillips
Refusal by Felix Francis
Damage by Felix Francis
Front Runner by Felix Francis
Longshot by Dick Francis
How to Organize Family History Paperwork by Denise May Levenick
How to Archive Family Keepsakes by Denise May Levenick
Family history by Simon Fowler
How to Write Your Personal or Family History by Katie Wiebe
Writing Your Family History by Gill Blanchard
Rat Race by Dick Francis
The Edge by Dick Francis
The Danger by Dick Francis
Break In by Dick Francis
Dead Cert by Dick Francis
Flying Finish by Dick Francis
101 Brick Wall Busters ed. by F.T. Magazine
Blood Sport by Dick Francis
Forfeit by Dick Francis
The Sport of Queens by Dick Francis
In the Frame by Dick Francis
Second Wind by Dick Francis
Slay Ride by Dick Francis
Knock Down by Dick Francis
Smokescreen by Dick Francis
Driving Force by Dick Francis
Reflex by Dick Francis
Risk by Dick Francis
Wild Horses by Dick Francis
Proof by Dick Francis
Comeback by Dick Francis
Twice Shy by Dick Francis
Writing a Non-Boring Family History by Hazel Edwards
High Stakes by Dick Francis
Writing Your Family History by Deborah Cass

57 for the month

October

Bonecrack by Dick Francis
Triple Crown by Felix Francis
Decider by Dick Francis
Currents of Change by Darian Smith
To the Hilt by Dick Francis
Shattered by Dick Francis
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
My Family and Other Strangers by Jeremy Hardy
Straight by Dick Francis
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Hot Money by Dick Francis
Nerve by Dick Francis
Bolt by Dick Francis
10-Lb Penalty by Dick Francis
Crossfire by Dick Francis & Felix Francis
Banker by Dick Francis
Trial Run by Dick Francis
Silks by Dick Francis & Felix Francis
Under Orders by Dick Francis
Field of Thirteen by Dick Francis
Finding Family by Richard Hill
No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey
Acorna: The Unicorn Girl by Anne McCaffrey
Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

25 for the month

November

The Honours by Tim Clare
Waking the Witch by Pam Grossman
Enquiry by Dick Francis
Woman Most Wild by Danielle Dulsky
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Horse Goddess by Morgan Llywelyn

7 for the month

December

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan
London Falling by Paul Cornell
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
The Severed Streets by Paul Cornell
Chalk by Paul Cornell
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell
The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell
A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Secret Life of John William Waterhouse by Nicholas Slack
Christmas Memories by Susan Waggoner
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
Blue Moon by Lee Child

14 for the month

313 books in total for 2019

I finished a lot of Michael Connelly this month. The worst part is waiting for the eBook to become available from the library. Let’s just say I have a lot of books on hold!

Also devoured a lot of Laura Lippman, whose Private Investigator protagonist reminds me fondly of Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone. Gotta say I’m not hugely keen on the Baltimore setting as it’s an American city I have no interest in, but her writing and plots are strong enough to see me through.

I tried a few other crime writers in March: McIlvanney, Ellison, Peter James. None of them really grabbed me. I think I’m about to admit defeat when it comes to Tartan Noir too. Stuart MacBride & Val Dermid aside, it’s not for me.

My health has continued to be a problem, so I topped off my list with a few Pratchett faves, which are the ultimate in comfort reading. The Night Watch series is probably my all time favourite collection, although I’m partial to the witches and Death as well!

Fifty Years of Wicca by Frederic Lamond
Firechild by Maxine Sanders
A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly
Fifty Fifty by James Patterson and Candice Fox
Suicide Run by Michael Connelly
Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter
The Immortals by J.T. Ellison
Charm City by Laura Lippman
Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb
The Pool of Two Moons by Kate Forsyth
Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman
The Sugar House by Laura Lippman
Sugar Bowl Series by Sawyer Bennett
Laidlaw by William McIlvanney
The Cursed Towers by Kate Forsyth
Need You Dead by Peter James
All the Pretty Girls by J.T. Ellison
Roma by Steven Saylor
Communing with the Ancestors by Raven Grimassi
City of Bones by Michael Connelly
Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman
Odin by Diana L. Paxson
The Reversal by Michael Connelly
The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Jingo by Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
Lost Light by Michael Connelly
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Narrows by Michael Connelly
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
In A Strange City by Laura Lippman
Blood Work by Michael Connelly

40 in total.

I’ve been struggling with focus and motivation recently, so I was surprised to see that I finished 34 books in Feb. Mostly novels, particularly books in series’ by authors I enjoy like Michael Connelly & Candice Fox (crime/mystery) or Steven Saylor & Ruth Downie (crime/mystery set in Ancient Rome).

Eden by Candice Fox
Never Never by James Patterson and Candice Fox
The Venus Throw by Steven Saylor
A Murder on the Appian Way by Steven Saylor
Terra Icognita by Ruth Downie
Fall by Candice Fox
Black & Blue by James Patterson and Candice Fox
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Light the Dark by Joe Fassler
It’s OK to Feel Things Deeply by Carissa Potter
A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie
Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie
Rubicon by Steven Saylor
Meditation by Matteo Pistono
Llewellyn’s Little Book of Meditation by David Pond
Last Seen in Massilia by Steven Saylor
A Mist of Prophecies by Steven Saylor
A Small Weeping by Alex Gray
The Judgement of Caesar by Steven Saylor
They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie
The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly
Angels Flight by Michael Connelly
Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood
The Triumph of Caesar by Steven Saylor
Rivals of the Republic by Annelise Freisenbruch
Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie
School Ties by Tamsen Parker
The Lies You Tell by Ruth Mancini
Semper Fidelis by Ruth Downie
Tabula Rasa by Ruth Downie
Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie
Night Horse by Elizabeth Smither
Dragonclaw by Kate Forsyth
Dancing with Witches by Lois Bourne

A new year, a new list. Up until a few days ago, I felt like I’d hardly ready anything this month, but apparently I’ve cranked out quite a few novels! Only five non-fic books made my Jan list; the rest was genre fic, mostly mystery stuff. All in all, I finished 32 books in January.

I’m making my way through Michael Connelly’s back catalogue after picking up “The Late Show”, which was published mid-2017. The old stuff is a little dated, but in a very entertaining “L.A. noir in the ’90s” way.

I also stumbled across Steven Saylor’s Roma Sub Rosa novels, which are mysteries set in the ancient Roman Republic. I’ve been a fan of Lindsey Davis’ Falco series for a long time, and Saylor’s mysteries are in a similar vein – but with less humour and a touch more history. I’ve loved historical novels set in ancient Rome since reading Rosemary Sutcliff as a child, and doubled down on all things Roman while studying Classics in high school (and laughing myself silly at Juvenal’s Satires).

Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Woman Most Wild by Danielle Dulsky
Witch by Lisa Lister
A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff
Transformative Witchcraft by Jason Mankey
The Thief of Light by Bernard Schaffer
Light Magic for Dark Times by Lisa Marie Basile
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
Ill Will by Dan Chaon
Redemption Point by Candice Fox
The Raven Room by Ana Medeiros
Lethal Kisses ed. by Ellen Datlow
Hades by Candice Fox
The Late Show by Michael Connelly
The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
The Black Ice by Michael Connelly
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly
Trunk Music by Michael Connelly
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
The Poet by Michael Connelly
Mulholland Drive by Michael Connelly
Roman Blood by Steven Saylor
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
The Seven Wonders by Steven Saylor
Raiders of the Nile by Steven Saylor
Wrath of the Furies by Steven Saylor
The House of the Vestals by Steven Saylor
A Gladiator Only Dies Once by Steven Saylor
Arms of Nemesis by Steven Saylor
Catilina’s Riddle by Steven Saylor