2012 End of Year Book Survey

The 2012 End of Year Book Survey is hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner.  I posted my Top Ten Books of the Year recently, and this is a slightly more in-depth look at all the books I read.  Be warned: I'm pretty much just going to fangirl the Chaos Walking trilogy. This is also likely to be my last post of the year as we head into Christmas and the New Year.  Happy holidays to everyone.

Best in Books 2012

1. Best book you read in 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Young adult fiction - Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (though this covers the whole trilogy)
Adult fiction - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Also see my top ten books of the year, as linked above and here.

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn't?

It feels awful to say this, but The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.  I knew it wouldn't be the same as Harry Potter but it was still a new book by JKR and I really wanted to like it more.  I think I'd have been disappointed by it regardless of who wrote it, but it was somehow worse that it was her.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?

Probably The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.  For some reason I thought it would be a slog but it's really fun and as quick a read as a near-1300 page brick can ever be.  It was also as mad as Revenge in terms of people not putting two and two together about what the Count was up to, which I found entertaining.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Pretty much whichever book I'd just read and loved.  Though I really pushed John Green and Maureen Johnson on people, especially my flatmate who didn't know what she was in for when she asked to borrow a book ("here, have this stack of great young adult.  I'm guessing you're more into contemporaries, so have Beauty Queens and Paper Towns and Girl At Sea.  Oh, and Dash and Lily".)

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

The Wardstone Chronicles by Joseph Delaney.  I really wasn't expecting much but they are fun, scary children's books which make great use of British folklore.  Need to finish reading in 2013.

6. Favourite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Christopher Isherwood (his prose is beautiful, I need to read everything he wrote); Lauren Oliver (why did I wait till 2012 to finish a book by her?); and Madeline Miller (she's only written one book but I love it.  Want more from her).

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I'm not sure.  I didn't really read any genres that were radically different for me this year.  I think maybe Thirteen Reasons Why was out of my comfort zone just because it hit way too close to home (I was not a happy teenager) and it was a painful read.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

Monsters of Men.  I rushed through that one.  It isn't one of the books I read in a day, but I really couldn't put it down.

9. Book you read in 2012 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, because I want to finish the series but can't remember all of the fine points of the plot.  It isn't a chore at all, though, as that book is fab.

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2012?

This is surprisingly difficult!  I'm looking at my books for 2012 in cover view on Goodreads and so many of them are pretty.  But if it has to be one:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  Partly because it is stunning - as are all the illustrations - but also because it feels nice.  I like it when books feel like they're made of good things.

11. Most memorable character in 2012?

Viola Eade.  Total badass.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Another tricky one, but going with Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.  Or My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

Either My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher or A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  Both deal with loss and death in deeply moving and powerful ways.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

I can't believe I waited till 2012 to finish The Chaos Walking trilogy, so this is two: The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men.  Seriously, I could have read this last year and I didn't!  Fool of a Took.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2012?

I don't keep track of quotes I love - I need to start doing that - so if it was a library book then I'm stuck, but here's the most recent one I could think of from a book I own:

"It's not that you should never love something so much it can control you.
 It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled." (The Ask and the Answer, p492).

16. Shortest & longest book you read in 2012?

Longest book - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas at a mighty 1264 pages.
Shortest book - Prater Violet by Christopher Isherwood at 122 pages

17. Book that had a scene it it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc, etc). Be careful of spoilers!

The ending of The Ask and the Answer (argh, what? No!)

18. Favourite relationship from a book you read in 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Viola and Todd in the Chaos Walking trilogy because the obvious romance doesn't get in the way of the plot (and because a love triangle is averted, thank the Lord) and Sunya and Jamie in My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece because they are so sweet.

19. Favourite book you read in 2012 from an author you read previously.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan.  I love this almost as much as Nick & Norah, which is saying something.

20. Best book you read that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from someone else.

I didn't read a lot of books because of a recommendation, though I did buy a lot that I need to get to in 2013.  If there is one, it's This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel.  I actually read this because of April at Good Books and Good Wine's review of the second book in the series, Such Wicked Intent.  That's still on order at the library, and I can't wait to get my hands on it, but I really enjoyed This Dark Endeavour though I think Such Wicked Intent is going to be better.

Looking Ahead...

1. One book you didn't get to in 2012 but will be your number 1 priority in 2013?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  I bought this when it came out in January 2012 and haven't even touched it. 

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2013?

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.  I don't feel that needs any explanation.

3. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2013?

Reading - read more.  Seems simple but I procrastinate too much and I really need to make a dent in my TBR pile because it is getting ridiculous.

Blogging - join in more.  Linked to this is being less shy/scared of joining in, but I really want to do more and blog more and that means sucking it up and participating even when I'm a little scared of doing so.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.  This week: top ten books we read in 2012.  This list is compiled based on my reading up to 16/12 - a total of 73 books (my target for the year was 100 but I've now dropped that to a somewhat more manageable 75).  This was quite a tricky ten to decide, because once I got past number 5 there were a lot of books vying for position.  But this is the definitive list of my favourite books for 2012 (unless I read something amazing in the next couple of weeks, which could happen) - with British dates, in case some look weird.

1. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (3/12 - 9/12) - This is really for the entire trilogy (this is book 3, The Knife of Never Letting Go is #1 and The Ask and the Answer #2) because oh my God it is so good.  Seriously, destructively good.  I could be quite obnoxious about recommending people read this, especially if they like science fiction and/or dystopias because it is just so good. (Goodreads for the trilogy)

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd) (9/12) - So, I was in a bit of a Patrick Ness fangirl mood and so I read this as soon as I finished Monster of Men.  Which was a bit silly because I spent a day being messed up and teary.  The book deals with grief and love and loss in a stunning way that left me feeling like I'd punched in the gut.  Brilliant. (Goodreads)

3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (27/6 - 29/6) - Until I picked up the above books, this was easily going to be my book of the year.  The story of The Iliad retold from Patroclus's perspective?  With him and Achilles in a relationship (which they blatantly are, it doesn't take that much reading between the lines, people)?  How could I not love that - well, if it had been handled badly, but it wasn't!  Absolutely beautiful and the ending made me cry even though I knew what would happen. (Goodreads)

4. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher (7/11) - Another book about grief and loss that had me sobbing (there is a pattern forming).  Told from the perspective of wonderful ten-year-old Jamie who really needs a hug, this book is wonderful.  A quick read that nonetheless makes you feel all the things.  I can't wait to get my hands on her new book. (Goodreads)

5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (5/1) - I only read this once, at the very beginning of the year (first book of the year, actually) but it stuck with me.  It was a little too close to the bone in some cases - I had a fun adolescence - but it dealt with an important issue very well.  The sort of book I'd want as many people as possible to read. (Goodreads)

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (27/2 - 1/3) - I still haven't seen the film because I am ridiculous but I really liked the book.  Simple, beautiful language, wonderful characters, all fabulous.  I really need to get my own copy (this was a library book), reread it and watch the film. (Goodreads)

7. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (10/5 - 11/5) - I love this almost as much as Nick & Norah.  A really fun, slightly daft read in a good way.  I leant it to my flatmate during one of my moments of indoctrinating her with YA and she liked it too, also making the point that all of the characters are great and Lily could be so annoyingly perfect but she isn't.  If you liked Nick & Norah read this (it's also Christmas-y!). (Goodreads)

8. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (13/6) - Until I read The Song of Achilles this was my favourite book in June.  It's my first Lauren Oliver (I know, what have I been doing?) and it's one of the most beautiful children's books I've ever read - my edition is a gorgeous hardback as well as being a gorgeous story.  The prose, the characters, the plot, everything is wonderful.  And it made me cry. (Goodreads)

9. The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan (6/1 - 9/1) - One of my first tasks in the new year will be rereading this and then finishing the trilogy.  This is fun, awesome urban fantasy and it's not only set in Britain (woot!) but also in places I know.  Oh, Exeter, I miss thee and was probably there when all this was going down. (Goodreads)

10. Giving Up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel (30/1 - 31/1) - this was the tricky decision but I'm choosing Mantel because her writing is just so good.  There's a lot in her memoir about feminism and writing and all sorts of other things that had me marvelling and determining to read the rest of her books. (Goodreads)

Also thoroughly enjoyed: anything by Christopher Isherwood, An Education by Lynn Barber, and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Want On A Deserted Island

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week: books I'd want on a deserted island.  Limited to ten!  Pah!  Though, to be honest, this was one where the first few were very easy and then I spent ages agonising over the last handful.  And I decided against taking books I hadn't read, because even though a deserted island would be the perfect opportunity to plough through Middlemarch, for example, what if I didn't like it and lamented the books I'd left behind? 

I may be overthinking this.

1. The Cricket Term by Antonia Forest - my favourite book by one of my favourite writers.  This was the first book of Antonia Forest's that I really loved and the reason I understand cricket and can yell appropriate things while watching the Ashes.  I think it's one of her best books - although as soon as I say that I remember the others and they're all damn good.

2. The Complete Works of Jane Austen  by Jane Austen (shockingly) - I own the individual volumes but if I'm on a deserted island I want one of those big compendium editions with all six novels and the tiny print and it might be difficult to hold/read but I will have all of Austen with me!

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - my favourite of the Harry Potter books.  I am having some Harry Potter with me.

4. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett - this is where it got tricky, because I reread Terry Pratchett a lot and there are about ten of his books which I have on a near permanent loop of tired/tipsy late night reading.  But I went with Night Watch because it has a fantastic plot, it's Vimes being Vimes, and there are all sorts of fun moments as younger versions of familiar characters pop up.  Teenage Vetinari badassing it up at the Assassin's Guild is one of my highlights.

5. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett - this is a bit of a cheat, as I need to read the rest of Lymond, but if I'm sticking to books I've read then it's this one because it is awesome.  And because nothing too bad has happened yet, I get the feeling the rest of the series is going to get mean (in a good way).

6. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers - I could take all of the Harriet Vane books - and it was a toss up between this one and Gaudy Night - but this is fun because Wimsey's around for a lot of it.  Much as I like Harriet as singleton sleuth in Oxford, the two of them pairing up to fight crime with Bunter sidekicking is more fun.

7. Paper Towns by John Green - I reread this book every so often and wonder why I don't add it to my permanent cycle of rereads.  It's my favourite John Green (though I haven't read The Fault in Our Stars) and the road trip, oh the road trip.  I want that on my deserted island.

8. Maurice by E.M. Forster - this was the first Forster I read and it's still my favourite.  It's a gay love story written in 1913 and Forster himself said that he didn't think there would ever be a time in which it could be published.  It's a beautiful, simple book and one I'd recommend to people wanting to try some Edwardian literature.

9. Nick and Norah's Inifinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - need I explain this?  Everyone I've leant this book to has devoured it in one sitting and then raved to me about how much they love it, which is the best thing that can happen when I lend my books.  A fun read that also says a lot about life and made me want to go to New York (some day I will achieve this, some day).

10. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer - this last spot had some contenders - The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford and The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss amongst them - but this won because, well, because I like it so much.  I do admit to skipping the first few chapters on most rereads and going straight to the awesome banter sections, but it is such a fun book and my favourite Heyer.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Harry Potter Moments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week is a freebie, so I'm going with my favourite Harry Potter moments.  I chose this because a) I am a sad, sad fangirl; and b) I am behind on my Harry Potter Readalong reading and so this is my way of doing something HP-related to keep things ticking over.  This is spoiler-y for the whole series.  All references are to the UK paperbacks.

1. "Lily's...eyes...search his face hungrily as though she would never be able to look at him enough." (Deathly Hallows, 560). This makes me cry every time, even if I read it out of context.  That entire chapter is one massive gut punch, but when Harry sees his parents, Sirius and Lupin and they talk about death and they stay with him to protect him...gah, my tears.  It's also one of the culminating moments of the theme of maternal love that runs right through the books.

2. "After all this time?" "Always" (Deathly Hallows, 552). We finally get the Snape back story we've been waiting for, as well as the answers of which side he was truly on and just what the hell Severus has been up to all these years.  I have to admit that, though I did cry when he died, I didn't give him one of my full blubbery stopped reading send offs because I saw the next chapter would be all about his past and oh how I wanted that info.  Also glad to be right that he was good.

3. "Is this the moment?" (Deathly Hallows, 502).  I may, while reading Deathly Hallows, have yelled a specific page number at my friends and it may have been the one in which Ron and Hermione finally kiss.  I had been waiting for this since Goblet of Fire and was starting to think it was never actually going to happen.  Then they go for it in the middle of a battle and Harry has to remind them that there's a war on.  Perfect.

4. "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" (Deathly Hallows, 589).  Another moment of maternal love, this time proof that you do not mess with Molly Weasley's children.  If you are Bellatrix Lestrange, you do not even get within fifty feet of them because Molly will end you.  And what makes this even better is J.K. Rowling's commentary on it on The Women of Harry Potter featurette (Deathly Hallows Part Two disc 2).

5. "Give her hell from us, Peeves" (Order of the Phoenix, 595).  The twins leave in spectacular fashion, having caused utter havoc at Hogwarts.  There's a lot about Order of the Phoenix that I'm not much of a fan of, but the entire section of people getting vengeance on Umbridge is one of my favourite parts of the whole series.

6. "[Luna] appeared singularly uninterested in such mundane things as the score" (Half-Blood Prince, 388).  Luna.  Commentates.  Quidditch.  Need I say more?

7. "More likely there's a very shellshocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings" (Goblet of Fire, 142).  This is one of the things that makes me consider Goblet of Fire the funniest book.  It's really Amos Diggory's full description of Moody's reaction to someone approaching his house, but the image of this cat amuses me the most - though when you know what really happened it's less funny...

8. "This is the weirdest thing we've ever done" (Prisoner of Azkaban, 291). The Time Turner sequence, or Harry Potter goes all wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey and it is wonderful.  It locks not just the plots but the themes together perfectly and is one of the reasons Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book.

9. "Harry - yer a wizard" (Philosopher's Stone, 42).  And we're off.  The first few chapters of Philosopher's Stone are interesting and compelling and I like reading them, but it isn't until Hagrid shows up that we get a lot of explanations and back story that kick the plot into overdrive and which will be useful for the rest of the series - though, of course, we don't get everything...

10. "Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison" (Chamber of Secrets, 176-7).  Another moment that I just find funny, and which feeds into my fanon view of this book which has McGonagall and Snape plotting to get rid of Lockhart over tumblers of whiskey.  I also think there's an (un)intentional reference to Dorothy L. Sayers in there - the number of valentines Lockhart gets is the same as the number of proposals Harriet Vane receives. 

Those are (some) of my favourite Harry Potter moments - what are yours?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Kick-Ass Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week: top ten kick-ass heroines.  This is something I've been thinking about a lot since I saw the topic as I love strong female characters but I don't just define a kick-ass woman as someone who can kick arse.  It goes beyond that, which is why some of the characters here don't specialise in beating people up but in getting on with things and winning in their own way.  That's not to say that some of them don't do well in fights, but not all of them do.  For a somewhat better put version of these thoughts, see Jamie's post at The Perpetual Page-Turner on the subject.  I'm also looking forwards to seeing other lists because a strong female lead is one of my favourite things in books.

1. Hermione Granger (The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) - I could include almost every single female character from this series as they all rock in their own way (not you, Umbridge, you go away) but Hermione is my heroine.  She's bookish and clever and she gets teased for being smart, but she never changes to make her life easier and without her the boys would be utterly lost.  I wish I'd been younger when I read the books just so I could have had Hermione as role model.

2. Susan Sto Helit (The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett) - again, just about every main female character from the series could be in this list, but Susan is my favourite (Granny and Angua run her close seconds).  Partly because she's in two of my favourite Discworlds (Hogfather and Thief of Time) but also because she is just awesome and awkward and chilly and fantastic.  And she's Death's granddaughter, you don't get much more kick-ass than that.

3. Nicola Marlow (The Marlows series by Antonia Forest) - Nicola is such a capable character she had to be sent on holiday in The Thuggery-Affair so that she wouldn't get in the way of the plot.  She captains the cricket team, has dire enemies, puts up with some sisters who are frankly infuriating (just hit Lawrie, honestly!), copes fairly well with Patrick preferring Ginty (gah!) and fights German agents.  There's a reason she's the main focus of most of the books.

4. Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien) - she goes to war disguised as a man when she's told to stay home - though admittedly she was going to be left in charge of Rohan if Theoden and Eomer died - she takes Merry along with her even though he's been told he's too small for battle and she proves that the Witch King really didn't think things through. 

5. Alanna (The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce) - some of my staple reading as a teenager.  A girl who fights as well if not better than the boys, saves the kingdom, pulls some pretty awesome men (I never liked who she ended up with when I was 15 though that may change now I'm older) and is generally an icon of badass women in fantasy.  Can more really be said about how great Alanna is?

6. Sabriel (The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix) - I could also put in Lirael who is also pretty damn awesome, but I love the story in Sabriel.  This was my first introduction to Garth Nix and how fantastic his writing and imagination is, and Sabriel - going off completely alone to find her father, fighting the dead and rescuing people as she goes - is fabulous.

7. Frankie Landau-Banks (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart) - one of the most feminist books I've ever read, it lists and attacks all sorts of misogynist bullshit (damn you, the patriarchy! Thanks for teaching me that, Caitlin Moran) and does so with a great story.  In a fancy pants boarding school, which is one of my favourite settings for any type of story.  Need to reread this.

8. Magpie (The Dreamdark series by Laini Taylor) - not including Kaoru because (shame shame shame) I still haven't read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but I can't leave out a Laini heroine and Magpie rocks.  A fairy who fights devils, stands up to the creator and hangs out with a bunch of cigar smoking theatrical crows?  So cool.  If you haven't read the Dreamdark books but like Lips Touch and Daughter of Smoke and Bone I urge you to read them - they're beautiful and well-written and why aren't there more of them?  I want a full series!

9. Kate Lowry (The Liar Society series by Laura and Lisa Roecker) - I reread The Liar Society on Sunday ready for The Lies That Bind and decided that, yes, Kate definitely needs to be in this list.  Not just because she uses the word "misogynist" to describe the stuff going on at her school, but because she is a pink haired, bicycle riding, mystery solving badass who takes on the main 'villain' at the end with a sword. 

10. All the girls in Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - whether they're setting traps, punching guys, accepting their true selves or taking on a dictator whose real life counterpart I did not recognise at all (oh no) all of the girls in Beauty Queens are amazing.  This book is yet another feminist touchstone for me, and I need to stop telling my flatmate to read it and throw it at her instead (she can do work for her PhD later).

A few are missing who will probably be on a lot of lists but some - Katniss, Rose Hathaway - aren't there because I haven't finished their respective series, and some - Tris, Celaena - because I haven't even started their books yet.  Need to get on that.

And, finally, honourable mention to Buffy Summers, just because no list of kick-ass heroines from any genre, medium or sense would be complete without her.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Childhood Favourites

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week is a rewind topic and I've chosen the very first one on the list: childhood favourites. 

Most of these are books I remember really loving, but the actual details of them are hazy.  I can remember specific scenes and most of the plot, but that's as far as it goes.  Also, there is quite a bit of Enid Blyton, because she was one of my mainstays as a child - there is also isn't any Harry Potter, because I was in my mid-teens when I started reading those.  And I was about to say that these are books I haven't read since, but I do have the Adventure series as one of my comfort reads (they are amongst Blyton's best work, guys).

1. Matilda by Roald Dahl - my first major book love. Our teacher read it to us when we were in Year One (five-going-on-six) and then I sought it out and read it all by myself.  Matilda was my heroine, because she was bookish and she wreaked vengeance on those who wronged her.  I know I'm not the only clever bookworm who loved this.

2. The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy - before there was Harry Potter, there was Mildred Hubble and her tabby cat, crashed broomstick and potions mishaps.  There was Miss Hardbroom stalking around invisibly, materialising when someone insulted her.  There was Ethel turned into a pig (ha!).  And there was Mildred saving the day.

3. Mossflower by Brian Jacques - I adored this series, but Mossflower was my favourite.  I read my copy constantly until it became soft and battered.  I recently tracked down a copy second hand and reread it.  It is a lot more brutal than I remembered - though as I recall I quite liked the violence - but just as good.  Will definitely be rereading the series.

4. Goodnight Mister Tom  by Michelle Magorian - the first book to introduce me to how much novels can hurt you.  I'd read Little Women before this, but Beth's fate was as nothing to the death in this book.  It utterly poleaxed me.  Books were not meant to do that, and they certainly weren't meant to do that to my favourite character.  Nor were they meant to feature bad parents or corrupt systems or proof that the world isn't safe for children.  This is the book that made me realise books weren't always safe and happy and Blyton-esque.

5. The Girls' Gang by Rose Impey - another one that I read repeatedly but now have little recollection of.  Basically, a group of girls get together and seek vengeance on the boys who tease them, because girls are better than boys.  Feminism before I was ten.  (Though what it would be like on a reread I'm not sure).

6. The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler - if Goodnight Mister Tom was my introduction to the fictional death that hurts, Tyke Tyler introduced me to the really good plot twist.  The sort that you don't see coming and which makes you review everything you've just read.  It was fantastic to read that, and the rest of the book is great as well.

7. My Best Fiend by Sheila Lavelle - why oh why was she still friends with the fiend?  And why did people enable the fiend so much?  Looking back, this is what I remember thinking (tho I didn't use words like 'enable' back then).  The one thing I do remember is the last chapter/short story involving the butterfly project and the fiend finally getting her comeuppance.  Ha!

8. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - the only Narnia I read for ages and ages, because it was the most fun (I now prefer Prince Caspian because underground resistance movement for the win).  And because I'd watched the BBC adaptation with the lion I was sure was real and just dubbed, and the effects that were much better to my child-eyes. 

9. The Valley of Adventure by Enid Blyton - the best book in her best series.  Screw the Famous bloody Five and their smug middle-class pompous ways, I'd much rather have the kids in these books who are just middle-class (their mother works herself too hard so they can go to boarding school!  Cut back the hours and send them to the local day school, love).  This book is the most fun of the series, though one of the least preposterous (that's prob The Circus of Adventure because hello circuses and ruritanian royal coups - no, wait, The Mountain because of a madman making wings and trying to throw a teenage boy out of a helicopter).  Seriously, I am just going to have to reread and review this series.

10. The Magical Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton - my grandmother got me all three books in one when I was ten and I read it so much the hardcover binding parted ways with the spine.  I loved these books, especially the bit where they have to get the tree back from the (?)pixies(?) - someone mean who invades, anyway - and climb up the tree inside for a surprise attack.

Looking at all of these, the main features of my childhood reading appear to be: magic, rebellions, battles, and girls who kick ass.  I quite like that combination.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Series I Haven't Finished

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week: top ten series we haven't finished.  I have to admit, that this is one of my biggest bookish confessions/flaws: I constantly start series that I never finish.  And this isn't because I have to wait for the next installment and then forget, as all of those listed below are complete series that I own all of.  I don't know why it is, I'll read the first in a series, buy all the rest of it, and then just don't read them. 

The numbers in brackets are (the number I've read/total number of books in the series) and, as I said, these are all books I own and which are currently sitting in my flat, mocking me.

1. The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett (2/6) - I have constantly rabbited on and on about how much I love Lymond and Dunnett and yet I've only read the first 2 (and a bit).  In my defence, I only managed to track down book 6 earlier this year, as the series is out of print, but I've had the others for ages and not read them.  I think I'm just worried that it's all going to get 'mean', as I'll phrase it, and I don't want that.  Also, these books are brilliant but long and complex, so you really have to pay attention and I haven't had time recently to set aside for a good read.

2. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray (2/3) - see, I only have the last left to read!  I even started it!  And I read A Great and Terrible Beauty & Rebel Angels right after each other and loved them and yet The Sweet Far Thing just sits there.  I'm going to have to reread them all again (much hardship that it is reading Libba Bray) as I can't remember all of the fine details.

3. The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (1/3) - I loved, loved The Knife of Never Letting Go and after the way it ended I had to start The Ask and the Answer and I got a couple of chapters in and sort of stopped.  I think it's because it's so dark and despairing and dreadful that I reached overkill, plus the tension keeps building until you both have to stop reading for your health and can't do so, so all of that together meant I took a break and didn't go back.  But I must.

4. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (1/3) - I am probably the last YA book blogger/fan on the planet not to have read all of these books.  I am ashamed.

5. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa (2/5) - I'm including The Iron Legends in this count.  This series was one of my surprise finds last year, as I really didn't expect to like it as much as I do.  Despite a few moments of "oh, come on, he's Puck!  That's Puck!" and it being yet another bloody love bloody triangle seriously can't we stop with these? they're still great books and I need to reread the first two and slot the short stories in as appropriate.

6. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead (4/6) - another series I didn't expect to like but I love.  Ended up buying them because people kept requesting my library copies before I'd read them (I am v slow with library books) and because I knew I'd want to keep them.  Rose is a badass, and I like the books even when they go all Buffy season 2.

7. The Demon's Lexicon trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan (1/3) - not only are these badass, funny and smart, the first one is also set in just about every place in Britain that I've lived in.  Seriously, it is uncanny.  Nice to know there were magicians running round Exeter when I was studying there.  I really feel like I should finish reading this series before I start on Unspoken, but there's a good chance that won't happen.

8. The Dream Catcher trilogy by Lisa McMann (1/3) - I love Lisa McMann's writing style and Wake was a quick, chilling read that I thoroughly enjoyed, yet I haven't continued with the others.  I think that, like Lymond, I'm worried about what's going to happen and so put it off as a means of sparing me pain because I is wuss.

9. The Hex Hall trilogy by Rachel Hawkins (1/3) - OK, when I started this one they weren't all published, so there's that in my favour.  But I've had plenty of time to finish the series, especially as I really liked Hex Hall so this is yet another example of laziness as these books are good and I need to know what happens next.

10. The Paranormalcy trilogy by Kiersten White (1/3) - I loved Paranormalcy, not least because I found it refreshingly sane and the things that I considered creepy were meant to be creepy and not an example of oh my God undying love.  Again it wasn't completed when I started reading the series (I don't think Supernaturally had been published then) but given that I specifically order the American hardbacks so I don't have to wait for the British paperbacks I really should have got on this sooner.

Right, a quick tally: that's 16/38 books which I have read, and 22/38 which I haven't.  Time to set myself some personal reading challenges and get on with it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my Autumn TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.  This week it's our autumn TBR lists, which I'm doing even though my track record for actually reading all of the books on my lists is poor (I've managed two from my summer list), but I'm going to try to read all of these.  The list is a mix of already published books and those that will be published this autumn.

1. The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling (27/9/12) - hell, yes, I am reading this.  Frankly if I fail to do so I need to be hit with a hardback copy of Order of the Phoenix.  I have it on pre-order at my local Waterstone's and plan to pick it up on my lunch break.

2. The Diviners - Libba Bray (18/9/12) - another pre-order.  I love Libba Bray's books, Beauty Queens is one of my favourite books, and this just sounds awesome.  I can't wait for this to show up on my door step.

3. Days of Blood and Starlight - Laini Taylor (8/11/12) - Laini writes achingly, infuriatingly well.  And though I confess I still haven't read Daughter of Smoke and Bone I am getting Days as soon as I can and then I am reading both.  Yes I am.  My excuse is that I'm pretty sure Daughter ends on a cliffhanger and I'm trying to save myself pain; it's def that not laziness.

4. Wanderlove - Kirsten Hubbard - I've seen this mentioned on a lot of blogs, and it's often compared to Amy and Roger's Epic Detour which I really liked so I'm looking forwards to reading it. 

5. Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas - another one I've seen blogged about a lot.  Also, assassins.  I love books with assassins (when they're the sword and dagger and political machinations kind, anyway).

6. The List - Siobhan Vivian - I think I saw this on the Story Siren's Books to Pine For ages ago and added it to my Goodreads.  Found it there a month ago when I was browsing for stuff to try and get for my Kindle.  I couldn't get this for that, but did get a hard copy.  Am in the mood for good contemporary which I think this will be.

7. Dull Boy - Sarah Cross - superheroes!  And I read a free sample on Kindle and then bought the book because just from those few pages I knew I'd love it.  A great way to wind up a year of Avengers and Dark Knights.

8. Venom - Fiona Paul (30/10/12) - more blogosphere chatter led me to this.  Renaissance Venice with plots and thieves and assassins and all sorts of other things I love?  Need this book.

9. The Lies That Bind - Lisa and Laura Roecker (1/11/12) - I read The Liar Society last year and liked it, and I'm intrigued to know where the series/characters are going.  I'll need to re-read that one first, though.

10. Bad Hair Day - Carrie Harris (13/11/12) - Bad Taste in Boys is one of my "picked it up, couldn't put it down, lost a day" books, so I can't wait for this one.  And it's werewolves and I heart werewolves a little.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books I've Read in the Lifespan of my Blog

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.  This week is the top ten books I've read in the lifespan of this blog, on which I first posted on 14th October 2010 (looking at this date makes me realise me that I really need to post more).  That is nearly two years and 200+ books to choose from, so this has been interesting but here goes:

1. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (18/3/11) - I've spoken about my love of this book before and it remains the best book I've read in the last two years.  It is awesome in every sense of the word: vivid setting, depth of detail, fantastic characters, labyrinthine plot - so many things I adore and on top of all of this the prose is beautiful and dense.  I've now managed to track down the rest of the series, so I need to set aside a block of time to wallow in the world and deal with the fact that future events are no doubt going to hurt me to the depths of my soul.  This is the sort of book in which you want everyone to be happy and safe but the writing is so good that this rarely happens.

2. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (30/6/12) - I reviewed and expressed my love for this book here.  I can't take things much further than I did there except to say that it is a wonderful book and I recommend it completely, even for people who don't already know the story.  I would actually be interested to know how not knowing what happens alters the experience of reading it: I knew how it would end and was still in floods of tears, which is surely the sign of a good book.

3. The Player's Boy and The Players and the Rebels by Antonia Forest (9/3/11 ) - cheating a little and counting this as one book (as it was originally written, only the needs of publishing led to it being split in two).  I love all of Antonia Forest's books and here she turns to historical fiction, setting the story around the death of Christopher Marlowe and the Essex Rebellion.  There are elements of espionage, treachery and lots of fun with Shakespeare.

4. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (23/10/11) - I read two books in 2011 which pretty much confirmed all my thoughts on feminism and this was one of them (the other was How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran).  It is a satire on the modern world which made me consider things I often don't think about, and featured some utterly mad moments which I adored. 

5. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (11/5/12) - I posted a mini-review of this in May in which I spoke of how funny, clever, true and wonderful the book is.  And it is - it's up there with Nick and Norah in terms of how much I love it; I just want to hug the book.  And then reread it.  And then read the books that are referenced within it.  And then go The Strand and attempt to live there.

6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (6/12/10) - I love Lola as well, and this was a toss up between which I'd put in the list but I went with Anna because it was first and that seems like the simplest way of picking.  Though it also features a mini-battle between two places I really want to go (Paris and San Francisco) but I think Anna wins because I read it in one sitting - it literally arrived, I opened the parcel, sat down and was lost for a few hours - and because of all the Paris and St. Clair you get.  And unlike a lot of people, my main reason for loving him is that he uses proper British slang!  Huzzah! This is a big reason for my love of this book, but I can also say: funny, warm and awesome, read both.

7. The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (4/8/11) - my first Rosemary Sutcliff and still my favourite.  It features one of my personal most liked story events: people on the run in difficult terrain, particularly Scotland (this is also my favourite part of Kidnapped).  In some ways it makes me think of Dorothy Dunnett's work: good characters, tricky issues of duty and loyalty, and brilliant prose.

8. The Crowfield Demon by Pat Walsh (16/8/11) - again I like both books I've read by this author, but in this case I have to give it to the second for being bigger: the plot, the characters, the complications and the horror are all upped in this book.  There are certain moments which have stuck in my mind because they are so creepy.  And there are angels, demons, ancient gods and fey all linked together in a world that works.  And it's set in a medieval abbey. So many elements I love.  Can't wait for the next one.

9. Nation by Terry Pratchett (1/7/11 ) - probably the book that made me think most, and which filled me with the sort of slow burning anger at injustice that Terry Pratchett frequently manages to invoke in me.  The ending is the height of bittersweet and so perfect it made me want to cry.  Not a Discworld and set in a parallel universe to our own, it nonetheless has a lot to say about our world and past.

10. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (12/4/11) - feminism, dystopia, genuine horror and that ending - I need to reread this book and finish the series, even though I know that it will probably destroy me a little.  The first one dragged me through the emotional wringer, so Lord only knows what the second and third will do.  Up there with Nation in terms of how much it made me think, wonderfully written and cruel in a good way, this gave me a new author whose books I need to read.

Honourable mentions for complete series - because I wasn't sure I could get away with putting series in my Top Ten, I also really enjoyed reading: the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr (complicated relationships between the various courts, the awesomeness of Irial and Niall, and a fully realised world) and the Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockart (painfully accurate observations of what it's like to lose all your friends and generally just be a teenager).

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Today's, as the name suggests, is the top ten books I want to read this summer.  I'm taking them from my TBR list (all but one are books I own; the remaining one is in my stack of library books) rather than books that will be released this summer.  When I did this for autumn I managed to read 4/10, so maybe this time I'll be more productive.

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth - somehow this completely passed me by until I saw a couple of reviews online for Insurgent and decided it sounded awesome. Nothing says summer like kick-ass dystopia.

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - bought this when it came out and I still haven't read it, it sits there in my pile of hardbacks judging me.

3. Bumped by Megan McCafferty - my flatmate got me this for Christmas and I promised she could read it after me. She is still waiting.

4. Heist Society by Ally Carter - I love heists of all kinds (one of the many reasons I love Inception) and a review I've read of this made it sound a) badass and b) perfect for me.

5. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - the library book, though I suspect I'll end up buying it. It just seems perfect for summer.

6. The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller - I've been wanting to read this for ages, and I finally caved in and bought it.  It's Achilles/Patroclus (as it is so blatantly is in The Iliad) and is beautiful from the first page.

7. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (from an idea by Siobhan Dowd) - I'm a big fan of The Knife of Never Letting Go, and this book is a work of art as well.  Looking forward to reading it even though I think it will destroy me.

8. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce - I liked Sisters Red, and this is yet another book heckling me from my pile of hardbacks.

9. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - this is the third in the series, I really liked one and two, I cannot figure out why I haven't read this yet.

10. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz - yet another Christmas present I haven't read yet. It's a new Sherlock Holmes by someone who writes great teen spy books. Clearly I am mad for not even starting it yet.

If this list shows anything, it's that my habit of acquiring books and not reading them is, possibly, getting worse.

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.  I am not only late with this week's but also missed last time, which sucks as I had many shiny new books to show off blog about.  The last fortnight has abounded with the arrival of pre-orders (except my special edition of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, boo!) and the kind of lucky finds in second hand bookshops that make me happy.  One book I've been looking for for ages is a treat; two is positively lucky.

Pre-orders

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.  Reason: I loved Anna and the French Kiss so there was no way I wasn't pre-ordering Lola and then devouring it in one day (which I did).

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.  Reason: It's MJ, it's set in London, it's Jack the Ripper - and I pre-ordered from Waterstone's so I got a signed edition, yay!

Bought - normal store (not sure what else to call it)

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.  Reason: One of my favourite books of this year so I had to own a copy.  Am going to reread and review soon (she says optimistically).

Bought - second hand (the god of second hand bookshops smiles upon me)

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine.  Reason: Borrowed it from the library earlier this year and enjoyed it, so when I saw it for £1 I figured why not.  Also, this way I can reread and review properly.

Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine.  Reason: I have three more books to read before I get to this one, but I figured I might as well buy it and free up a library slot.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead.  Reason: Again, I have three books to go before I get to this book and I bought it to free up a library space.  I am really enjoying this series though.

Ironside by Holly Black.  Reason: I've wanted this book for ages and there it was on a second hand bookshelf.  I bought very quickly.

Layer Cake by J.J. Connolly.  Reason: I have been after this book for a while and couldn't find it anywhere - I was starting to think it didn't exist.  Then, ta da, there it was in an Oxfam bookshop (I love Oxfam bookshops).

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week a list which could go on forever with me.  I constantly reread, often just picking up a favourite (usually Terry Pratchett or Antonia Forest) and skim reading chunks for comfort.  So, am going to keep this to books I want to reread in full/which I haven't read for ages.

1. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - I've only read this once, although  I've read every other Austen multiple times.  I read it second year uni and remember finding that it dragged, that Fanny was annoying me, that it was altogether too Moral for my liking, but I also feel like it's Austen and I should now give it another try.

2. Nation by Terry Pratchett - when I read this in June I don't think I paid enough attention; I was so convinced something bad was going to happen that I didn't take the time to enjoy what was happening.

3. The Player's Boy by Antonia Forest - one of the few Antonia Forest books I've only read once, I want to reread it partly because it's Antonia Forest and partly because I'm going through a bit of a Tudor historical novel kick at the moment.

4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - I'd like to read this in one sitting.  When I read it last year I ended up taking a massive break partway through, so that I not only had to get used to the writing style again but also remind myself who some of the secondary characters were.

5. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - now that I know the plot (oh evil tricksy twists) I think it would be interesting to read for the sake of spotting 'clues'. 

6.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - just because, really.  This time I'd like to savour the book rather than rush through it in a mad haze.

7. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer - this was the first Heyer I ever read and I can remember vague bits of the plot and a slightly drunken discussion about Hubris vs Nemesis that had me in stitches.

8. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark - a book that I think I'd appreciate more now that I'm older.  I liked it the first time around but wonder if I maybe didn't get as much from it as I could have done.

9. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - first read when I was eighteen (after I read Lord of the Rings), I haven't touched it since and think it would bear a reread if I can get past the beginning with the gate crashing dwarves and all the other unfunny overly jovial bits.

10. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - another book that I might get more from now.  If I'm honest a lot of books I read at uni could probably do with being reread.

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. 

This week: I join a library in a neighbouring county and squee my way round their young adult section (except not really because it was a library so it was silent squeeing and a lot of grinning; if there's CCTV footage I probably look deranged).

The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff.  Reason: I'm really enjoying Rosemary Sutcliff, and this is the next in her Roman Britain series (after The Eagle of the Ninth).

The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff.  Reason: Follows on from The Silver Branch in the Roman Britain series, and sounds pretty interesting/dark.

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers by Louise Rennison.  Reason: I'm loving the Georgia Nicolson books, and in this one she's off to America.

Startled By His Furry Shorts! by Louise Rennison.  Reason: As above, next one in the series.

Luuurve is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison.  Reason: Once again, more Georgia Nicolson.

Stop in the Name of Pants by Louise Rennison.  Reason: The penultimate in the series (I have the last one on order at my local library).

Frostbite by Richelle Mead.  Reason: I read Vampire Academy recently and now I need to know what happens next.

The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine.  Reason: I read Glass Houses earlier this year, had this book from another library before I moved, and now I've found it again.

The Missing by Lisa McMann.  Reason: I love Wake and hadn't realised that Cryer's Cross had been published in the UK (probably because they changed the title) which may have been why I meeped when I saw this in the library.

Valiant by Holly Black.  Reason: The sequel to Tithe (though I really want Ironside for Corny).

Wish Me Dead by Helen Grant.  Reason: I've read Helen Grant's first two books recently and I'm a fan.  And once again I hadn't known this one existed.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham.  Reason: I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and it's been on the shelf at my local library for ages calling to me so I finally go it out.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday.  Reason: I've been wanting to try some of Jessica Verday's books for a while, and there it was on the shelf.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Feel Everyone Has Read But Me

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week (as the big title above suggests) is books I feel everyone has read but me.

1. Anything by Lauren Oliver - I have both Before I Fall and Delirium, I've read half of Delirium - before I bought it, then I had to return it to the library.

2. Anything by Sarah Dessen - again, I bought The Truth About Forever ages ago, and I just got Along for the Ride from the library, and again I'm clearly one of the last YA bloggers/fans to read anything by her.

3. Anything by Shannon Hale - yet another author whose books I own but have never read.  I've started reading a couple, then I've got distracted.

4. The rest of The Hunger Games series - I've only read the first book.  A friend who borrowed my books and read the first one after me has read all of them. 

5. The rest of the Vampire Academy series - once more, I've only read the first one.  This one will probably involve a lot of library reservations as damn those books are popular.

6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - and the rest of the series, but I feel I should get started on the first one first (it seems logical).

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - am I the only person who hasn't read this?

8. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - this could be because I'm British and I read a lot of American YA books in which the characters study this at high school (it wasn't a required book for us), but I feel like I should have read this.

9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - so classic it's used as character development in The Wire.

10. 1984 by George Orwell - all of my friends have read it.  I don't want to be different to my friends.

In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.  No new bought books this week, but trips to a couple of libraries - needed to kill some time before Tinker Tailor started (and when I used the abbreviated title to the guy at the ticket booth in the cinema he looked at me like I was mental rather than trying to speed to process up) - mean that I have borrowed a few this week.

Beauty by Robin McKinley.  Reason: Everyone seems to have read this but me.

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst.  Reason: I love fairytale retellings, and I've heard good things about this one.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen.  Reason: I have never read any Sarah Dessen, and it feels like everyone else has.

...and That's When it Fell Off in My Hand by Louise Rennison.  Reason: I am pretty much addicted to these books.

In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, and encourages bloggers to post about books they've got that week, whether through the post, from a shop, or borrowed from one of those miraculous places that lets you take books away for free.

In The Post

Supernaturally by Kiersten White. Reason: I liked the first book in the series, Paranormalcy, and I'm not waiting till the sequel is published in the UK.

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart.  Reason: it's the last Ruby Oliver and I need to know the ending.

From The Library

Being Elizabeth Bennet: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster.  Reason: Choose Your Own Adventure Jane Austen style, how could I resist?  Though the prize is Darcy and I'd rather have Tilney or Knightley.

The Riddle of the Poisoned Monk by Sarah Matthias.  Reason: I actually saw the first book by this author before this one, but they both looked good, and then I find there's time travel and a talking cat.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  Reason: Everyone has read these books.  I'm not sure how my classicist leanings will affect my reading of the series, but if I don't borrow it out now I'll never see it again.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Sequels I'm Dying to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week: top ten sequels we're dying to read.  As usual, my list is a combination of books I want to buy, books that have yet to be published (or named! They may not exist), and books which I own but have yet to read.  Some of them also appeared on last week's Top Ten TBR Books for Autumn.

1. Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart - arrived in the post today.  Am reading first chance I get.

2. The follow up to The Crowfield Demon by Pat Walsh - I don't even know what this book is called, or when it will be published, or anything.  I assume it will exist because The Crowfield Demon left some threads hanging.

3. The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - Lymond in Malta, dealing with the Knights of St John (thus linking him to my favourite painter who shouldn't be let out without supervision, Carravagio) and meeting his Arch Nemesis.  Read the first chapter a while ago and Lymond fools the English with an army of sheep, so he remains on form.

4. The Rivals by Daisy Whitney - I really enjoyed The Mockingbirds (my review here) and was a tiny bit disappointed that I'd have to wait till 2012 for the sequel.

5. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce - Sisters Red was really good (my review here) and now Jackson Pearce is tackling Hanzel and Gretel?  I think it will be both awesome and disturbing, which are things I look for in a book.

6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - everyone and their dog has read this but me.  The daft thing is I want to read it but haven't yet.  I think because it's the middle of a trilogy which means things are about to get very bad.

7. Supernaturally by Kiersten White - also arrived today, also needs to be read as soon as humanly possible.

8. The Lies that Bind by Lisa & Laura Roecker - how did I not know there was a sequel to The Liar Society?  I wanted a sequel but that book could standalone but now I know there will be more. (tbp 2012)

9. ...and That's When It Fell Off in My Hand by Louise Rennison - these books have surprised me by how much I enjoy them, just a shame I have to watch the library catalogue like a hawk to get copies as they're returned.

10. Frostbite by Richelle Mead - again, surprised by how much I enjoyed Vampire Academy, and again having to get this from the library and curse whoever took it out before me.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My TBR List This Autumn

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week (to which I am a bit late, huzzah) is, well, as the title of this post says: books on my TBR list this autumn.  For me I've done a mix of books due for publication, those I'm buying first chance I get and some which I already own which are sitting on my - well, actually, my floor as I don't have bookshelves in my new flat yet and so I have stacks of books all round the walls.

1. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - I loved Anna to the point of reading it in a day and telling my housemates how awesome it is, so can't wait for Lola.

2. Snuff by Terry Pratchett - it's a new Discworld.  It's focusing on Vimes, cynical god of all things awesome and cranky.  And it's called Snuff.

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I've loved all of Laini's other books, her prose is always beautiful (writerly jealousy abounds when I read her) and I'm getting the damn special edition even though it takes a hefty chunk out of my change.

4. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - MJ writing about Jack the Ripper, and London, and I need this book.

5. Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart - I just finished The Treasure Map of Boys and I have to know how all this ends.  This has been one of my favourite series of the year.

6. Graveminder by Melissa Marr - Another favourite series for me was Wicked Lovely, and Melissa Marr is now on the (quite short) list of authors whose books I have to buy.

7. Supernaturally by Kiersten White - I read Paranormalcy in July and loved it, so now I need to know what happens next.

8. The remaining Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett - I've managed to track down all but Checkmate (damn lack of recently published copies anywhere but Foyles) and they are sitting there, mocking me with their complex plots and their lines in languages I can't read and their general brilliance.  This series is a hefty undertaking but so worth it.

9. The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff - The Eagle of the Ninth was fantastic, Outcast was bleak but wonderfully written, and I now want to read everything Rosemary Sutcliff wrote.

10. The rest of The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison - so much fun, really funny and the film is amazing.  Am reading these from my local library so it's a case of scrounging around trying to grab the copies when they come in and calling down curses on the head of whoever got there before me.

Actually, there are a lot of books I want to read, and a lot more series I've just started that I want to complete (Uglies and Vampire Academy especially) as well as series that are languishing and mocking me (Chaos Walking and Hunger Games in particular) that this list could go on forever. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Just Had To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Bookshelf

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish, and this week seemed particularly appropriate for me because I do this all the time.  Most of the books on my shelf are a product of me going "that sounds awesome, I must have that, I will read it immediately...ooh, that sounds even more awesome, I must have that, I will read it instead" ad infinitum (either that or are a result of needing a third book for Waterstone's 3 for 2 offers).  Then there are the ones I've bought for university courses/essays and not read.  And the ones I asked for for Christmas and haven't read.  Or those that I bought because someone online recommended it, or I read the author's blog and they seemed cool.

To be honest, picking ten might be tricky...

1. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - because I slid off the end of The Subtle Knife, went "what the hell?  How can you stop there, you evil man?" and then dashed in town to get the third book.  Which I've never finished reading.

2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith - it's Pride and Prejudice...with zombies.  The Bennet sisters fight zombies.  Darcy fights zombies.  I think characters I dislike become zombies. How could I not have that in my life?

3. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - I love Sarah Waters, I'm pretty sure I pre-ordered this because I'm such a fan of her work - and then I didn't read it.

4. Nation by Terry Pratchett - it's Terry Pratchett, if he publishes I buy.  Then I hear that it's quite bleak and even though one of my favourite Discworlds is Night Watch, I put off reading it.

5. Possession by A.S. Byatt - practically all of my friends have recommended this to me, even those whose reading tastes vary wildly.  It has been sitting there for years and I haven't touched it.  I like to think I'm saving it till I'm older.

6. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and had to buy the remaining two.  They have now been sitting, unread, on my shelves for over a year.

7. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde - I love the Thursday Next books, I liked the first Nursery Crimes book, I bought this in hardback and I haven't touched it since.

8. The Devil in Amber by Mark Gatiss - again, I loved the first Lucifer Box book, I bought this one in hardback, and there it sits, unread.

9. Evelina by Frances Burney - friends recommended it, Jane Austen loved Burney, she's one of the biggies of eighteenth-century literary, and yet I can't even read her shortest novel.  I have her others and they are intimidating doorstops, but this is comparatively light.

10. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson - I bought this for a course and have been terrified of it ever since.  It is bigger than a normal Penguin.  It is a million words long.  It is there and judging me because I haven't read it yet.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  I have more unread than read books, and even when I take vows not to buy any more there are always really good charity shops that sell great titles cheap (that doesn't count as buying books because it's so much less money).