May Book Update

So, in 2018, I'm taking a slightly different approach to blogging about my reading - I'm not really worrying about the in/out balance or how many books I read each month versus how many have been removed from the list. My only goal in 2018 is to read at least 100 books (as usual), so I'll be counting towards that, and noting books I read, acquire, get rid of, etc, but only for interest. I'm tired of feeling guilty if I acquire new books!

In January:  books read: 7; books otherwise removed: 3; books in: 7; books on windowsill: 62
In February: books read: 6; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 3;  books on windowsill: 61
In March: books read: 8; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 5;  books on windowsill: 60
In April: books read: 13; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 6; books on windowsill: 61
In May: books read: 10 ; books otherwise removed: 1; books in: 2; books on windowsill: 60

And here's the breakdown for this month: 

• I started and abandoned one book I really didn't get into (The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus)
• I read 4 children's books to check suitability for my class (Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne, Boy 87 by Ele Fountain, The Girl Savage by Katharine Rundell, A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson)
• ...and one book from my classroom, which I started while timing a test where I couldn't help the pupil but only watch the clock - for an hour (Holes by Louis Sachar)
• I read one book from my list (The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon)
• I re-read a couple of books in the house, one of which I was going to send to the charity shop, but thought I'd read first (Ghostwritten by David Mitchell, Hens Dancing by Rafaella Barker)
• I read one book in a series Geoff and I both like, which I recently realised I'd got a little behind on (A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny)
• I finally finished a non-fiction book from my list which I've been reading in small bits for some time (The Button Box by Lynn Knight)
• I bought one book from AbeBooks - the second in a series I started (The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon)
• I bought a book in Waterstones which I've eagerly been awaiting in paperback (New Boy by Tracy Chevalier)

Here's the updated list of Books to Read in 2018. These are the books hanging out on my windowsill upstairs, waiting to be read. Or discarded. But hopefully, read. I started the year with 60 books on this list - you can see how long the books have been knocking around by the dates in brackets.

1. Ford Maddox Ford, Parade's End (Nov 2012 - birthday present - bought after the BBC adaptation - but I knew I wouldn't read it straight away as I wanted to let time pass from the adaptation.  Enough time has probably passed now...)
2. Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South (2014)
3. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (would be a re-read, bought shortly after his death - spring 2014 - as I was reminded how much I enjoyed it and I didn't seem to own a copy - think my old one fell apart, probably...) 
4. Philip Baruth, The Brothers Boswell (Waterstones Canterbury bargain bin, July 2015)
5. Daphne du Maurier, Frenchman's Creek (Waterstones Piccadilly - 2016? bought in principle for the girls, but thought I might read it again as it's been ages)
6. Daphne du Maurier, Jamaica Inn (Waterstones Piccadilly - 2016? bought in principle for the girls, but thought I might read it again as it's been ages)
7. Alice Munro, Runaway (Waterstones Piccadilly, March 2016)
8. Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram (Abe Books, July 2016)
9. Susan Barker, The Incarnations (charity shop, July 2016)
10. Neil MacGregor, Germany: Memories of  a Nation (birthday present, Nov 2016) (This book isn't technically on my windowsill, it's downstairs because I keep thinking I might have a go at reading it, but haven't really got around to it yet...)
11. Orhan Pamuk. A Strangeness in Mind (Christmas present 2016)
12. Andrew Taylor, The Ashes of London (passed to me by Geoff after he read it, April 2017)
13. Mark Haddon (Introduction), States of Mind: Experiences at the Edge of Consciousness (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
14. John Irving, Avenue of Mysteries  (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
15. Mikhail Bulgokov, The Master and Margarita (charity shop, April 2017)
16. Peter Ackroyd, Hawksmoor (charity shop, April 2017)
17. Rachel Ward, Numbers 2: The Chaos (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
18. Rachel Ward, Numbers 3: Infinity (Sarah's - added to my shelf after I read the first one, April 2017)
19. Jane Smiley, Early Warning (Abe Books, May 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
20. Siri Hustvedt, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
21. Sally Vickers, Cousins (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
22. Hella Haasse, The Tea Lords (Bookhandel von Rossum, Amsterdam, August 2017)
23. Ernest van der Kwast, The Ice Cream Makers (Amsterdam, August 2017)
24. Lucy Worsley, A Very British Murder (Waterstones Oxford, August 2017)
25. Lucy Ribchester, The Hourglass Factory (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
26. Bi Fieyu, Three Sisters (charity shop, Farnham, September 2017)
27. Ali Smith, Autumn (Waterstones Brighton, October 2017)
28. Becky Chambers, A Closed and Common Orbit (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
29. Alexia Casale, The Bone Dragon (Waterstones Piccadilly, October 2017)
30. Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (November 2017, book was in the house already, added after I read Divisadero and realised I'd never actually read this one.)
31. Grayson Perry, The Descent of Man (December 2017, RA Gift Shop)
32. Sarah J Maas, Court of Thorns and Roses (Christmas present, 2017)
33. Katherine Arden, The Bear and the Nightingale (Christmas present, 2017)
34. Patrick Gale, A Place Called Winter (charity shop, December 2017)
35. Sebastian Barry, Days without End (Abe Books, January 2018)
36. Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murders (W H Smith, January 2018)
37. Matt Haig, How to Stop Time (W H Smith, January 2018)
38. Bernie MacLaverty, Midwinter Break (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
39. Ursula K LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness (Watersones Piccadilly, January 2018)
40. Clare Vanderpool, Moon over Manifest (was in the house, moved to my shelf Feb 2018)
41. Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
42. Mohsin Hamid, Exit West (Waterstones Wimbledon, Feb 2018)
43. Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (passed to me by Geoff, Feb 2018)
44. Alwyn Hamilton, Hero at the Fall (Waterstones online, March 2018)
45. Laini Taylor, Strange the Dreamer (Waterstones online, March 2018)
46. ed. Tracy Chevalier, Reader I Married Him (Waterstones online, March 2018)
47. Bella Pollen, Hunting Unicorns (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
48. Diana Rosie, Alberto's Lost Birthday (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
49. Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter from your Lover (Charity Shops, March 2018)
50. Jojo Moyes, Sheltering Rain (Charity Shops, March 2018)
51. Sebastian Faulkes, A Week in December (Charity Shops, March 2018)
52. Marcus Zusak, I am the Messenger (Charity Shops, March 2018)
53. Jose Saramago, Blindness (Lisbon, April 2018)
54. Margaret Atwodd, Oryx and Crake (passed on by Geoff, April 2018)
55. The Killing Moon, N K Jemisin (Waterstones online, April 2018)
56. The End we start from, Megan Hunter (Waterstones Wimbledon, April 2018)
57. If we were Villains, M L Rio (Waterstones Wimbledon, April 2018)
58. Spark, Alice Broadway (Waterstones Wimbledon, April 2018)
59. The Mime Order, Samantha Shannon (Abe Books, May 2018)
60. New Boy, Tracy Chevalier (Waterstones Kingston, May 2018)

Dinner, 31/5/18: Pasta Bake with Meatballs

This one was literally a "What can I make from stuff already in the house" sort of meal.  A package of meatballs from the freezer, a bag of wholewheat pasta, half a jar of tomato sauce, plus passata, plus a tin of tomatoes, half a bag of grated mozzarella plus some cheddar for flavour and some seasonings & chili flakes. A very tasty pasta bake and I didn't have to go shopping. Tomorrow, though, I'll need to shop as we're running low on anything that will make a decent dinner!

May Declutter, Day 31: 31 items (496 total)

Last day of May, last day of decluttering. Although to be fair, I do tend to have fairly regular clear-outs of things like clothes and bookcases. Still, the May exercise is an extra incentive to get rid of some of the detritus which tends to lurk around.  These are mostly going to the charity shop or in the bin, with a few things going to school for my bookcases there. Whew! Nearly 500 items decluttered (technically more, as in some cases, I've counted several items as one...)

Book 44: The Button Box by Lynn Knight

I've been reading at this non-fiction book about women's clothing in the 20th century, off and on, for ages now. It was interesting, but not read-all-at-once interesting. It would have been even more interesting as a TV programme, though, where we could have seen a lot of the fashion she was talking about.

Dinner, 30/5/18: Sausages, Baked Potato, Asparagus

Feeling singularly uninspired about cooking this week, so I've gone for some very basic stuff. Maybe later in the week you'll see something more interesting (the asparagus was good though - it's in season now and it's a short season,  so we'll be eating it a lot!)

May Declutter, Day 30: 30 items (465 total)

Some notebooks which can go to school, a few more books, some cross-stitch patterns (mostly ones I've stitched already), and a few games we don't play.

Dinner, 29/5/18: Chicken, Courgette and Potato Tray Bake

Basically just those three ingredients dumped in a tray in the oven. Though I did put some peri-peri salt on the chicken. 

May Declutter, Day 29: 29 items (435 total)

Nearly there!  These are a few more clothing items from mine and Sarah's wardrobe, and some swimtrunks of Alex's, which are too small. Also,  few more books from the bookcases - nothing wrong with any of them, just not ones we need to save to re-read. Plus some patterns, some surplus decks of cards and a few other bits and bobs.  Two more days to go...

Book 43: Hens Dancing by Raffaella Barker

This was on the charity shop pile during my declutter and I decided to quickly re-read it before sending it off. Cute. 

May declutter, day 28: 28 items (406 total)

These are all items from my wardrobe - most of which simply things which I don't wear. There are also two pairs of trousers which need to go in the bin: one has multiple holes and the other is my old favourite pair of black linen trousers, which not only have a bleach stain on them but have a completely broken zip and have to be held up with a safety pin. Time to say good bye! Everything else is off to the charity shop as there's nothing wrong with them, I just don't wear them. 

Dinner, 28/5/18: Stromboli

Yum. Tried a slightly different filling, with prosciutto and salami instead of wafer thin ham - worked really well.

Book 42: A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

Sometimes when I blog about my reading, it looks like I'm reading a book a day, but it's usually just because I have several on the go at once and then tend to finish them up all at once as well. However, in this case, I really did read this book all in one day - we had some friends around to lunch and were talking about Louise Penny; I've had the most recent two up in my room waiting to be read for a few weeks (after suddenly realising I hadn't read one in a while and she usually writes one a year, at least). So I picked it up and really enjoyed it, so didn't go to bed until 1.30 because I was finishing it. It's not the very best of the series, probably, but I did feel it was stronger in some ways - more realistic, certainly, than the previous one. And some of the newly introduced characters have potential to extend into more permanent fixtures...

May declutter, day 27: 27 items (378 total)

Most of this stuff is from Sarah's room, but we also started on my clothes, so there are some pants which I really don't like (lace on them) going in the bin as well.

May declutter, day 26: 26 items (351)

Sarah's clothes again - more things which aren't worn or don't fit. 

Book 41: A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson

Another one I was trying out for my class's book corner. I didn't like this as much as some of the others - nothing wrong with it, but it read much younger, and I'm not sure that's just to do with the target audience. Still, I can see it appealing to girls of a certain age. 

Book 40: Ghostwritten by David Mitchell (re-read)

I read this ages ago, and had been thinking about it recently so decided to re-read it. Verdict: it's good, but not as good as Cloud Atlas. 

May declutter, day 25: 25 items (325 total)

Still in Sarah's room, moving on to clothes now. Various things which either don't fit or are no longer worn. Most bound for the charity shop (though I don't send pants to the charity shop - can't imagine anyone buying second hand pants). 

Asian Stir Fry with Cashews (Vegan in 7)

We had this before and really enjoyed it - time for a repeat. We particularly love the cashews, and in fact, I made some more just to nibble on, later.

May declutter, day 24: 24 items (300 total)

Still working through Sarah's room - various bits and pieces, some for the bin, some for the charity shop; one item (the holepunch) going to school with me. 

May declutter, day 23: 23 items (276 total)

More things from Sarah's room - makeup which is either too old or she doesn't use for other reasons, some socks she doesn't wear, etc, etc. Most of this stuff is going in the bin, with a few objects suitable for rehoming.

Dinner, 23/5/18: Spiced Broccoli with Paneer

I can't make up my mind about this. I didn't dislike it, but neither was it very inspiring. 

Dinner, 22/5/18: Courgette & Mint Soup

May declutter, day 22: 22 items (253 total)

This stuff is all from Sarah's room - various knick knacks, books, posters, etc which she no longer needs. And a pair of socks with holes in.

May declutter, day 21: 21 items (231 total)

And another assortment of stuff from various places around the house: some insulated mugs we don't use (to work), a couple of old bikes and scooters which have been cluttering up the bike shed (gone to new homes via local FB group), old notebooks, half full (bin), some old bits of clothing leftover from Olivia upcycling and  a paper pattern (bin), some posters (recycling), a few books from Sarah's room (charity shop), an old pair of gym trousers with a huge rip (bin). 

Dinner, 21/5/18: Chickpea and Carrot Tagine

Thought this was very nice. We had something similar a while back, which lacked flavour; flavour on this much better. 

May declutter, day 20: 20 items (210 total)

Some unusued pillowcases and placemats (charity shop), broken headphones (bin), spare mugs (work) and old water bottles (recycling), a very heavy duvet we don't like (tip - it's not really suitable for the charity shop), my old swimsuit (just got a new one; this one is losing its elasticity), some extra pillow stuffing from old pillows (bin). 

May declutter, day 19: 19 items (190 total)

This is just pants. Literally. There are 19 pairs of pants here, some in a size 13-14 YO and some in a men's small - all of which are too small for Mr I Just Don't Ever Seem to Stop Growing Taller. Obviously, he doesn't clear out his dresser quite frequently enough.

Dinner, 19/5/18: New Potato, Mozzarella, Spring Onion Tart

Book in

This is the second in a series of which I recently read the first...

May declutter, day 18: 18 items (171 total)

Today's selection of items comes from all over the house - a few things from the loft cupboards - some old CD racks, a scarf, another region 1 DVD (charity shop), a few old posters, some dried up glue (bin), and a handful of highlighters and clips, which are going to school. 

May declutter, day 17: 17 items (153 total)

Some more stuff (mostly) from the loft storage - an old sleeping bag which no one uses - we have a couple of better ones, and we don't camp, so there's not a huge need for sleeping bags in our house anyway.  A ton of boxes - mostly shoes boxes with flip lips (rather than separate lids) and a few other things. The kids have broken these down and they'll go to the tip. I did keep a good handful (6 or 7) shoeboxes with lids and a couple of small mailing boxes. Three duvet sets, which will go to the charity shop. The kids' beds still have 2 or 3 sets each, and I still have a couple of spares in case I need some to send to uni with Olivia next year. And the Aristocats is a region 1 DVD, which we can't readily play. It's going to the charity shop (with a note) and we'll replace it with a region 2 DVD, because even teenagers need Aristocats from time to time...

Book 39: The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell

This is another one which I bought intending to share with my class - picked it up in the bookshop the other week without realising (despite it actually saying on the cover) that the author also wrote Rooftoppers, which I read earlier this year.  I enjoyed this one - another good, imaginative story from a great writer.

Dinner, 16/5/18: Spaghetti with Courgette & Lemon

A nice simple, summery pasta dish - you don't even cook the courgette in advance, just grate it and when you mix it into the hot pasta, it wilts just enough.

May declutter, day 16: 16 items (136 total)

Sarah and I cleared out a couple of cupboards in her room (which is in the loft, so has all the extra storage in it) and found lots of things which we don't need anymore. The bookmarks are actually going to school - we have tons and these can go in books in my book corner. The two ready beds both leak, so aren't very practical (they are also very old) - they are going to the tip. The two baskets can go to the charity shop as they've been in the cupboard for years. The green canister was a Christmas present container, but we'll never use it. The backpacks - two are going to the charity shop, and one, which is really in bad shape, in the bin. The gym bag in the same picture is ripped, so also - bin.  The toaster box has the old toaster in it, which sort of works, but tends to burn things even on low (which is why we got a new toaster) - again, it's going to the tip. And the red plastic box (which is actually a set of stacking boxes), we just never use, so no need to keep it.

Book 38: Holes by Louis Sachar

Picked this up in school today, when I had two long periods of clock watching, where I wasn't able to do much of anything, while children sat exams they weren't allowed any help with.  I thought I'd read it before, but it's possible I only saw the film - anyway, it's brilliant, which I knew. 

May declutter, day 15: 15 items (120 total)

A kind of random assortment of items today - some stuff from the bathroom - the bath gel and fizzer sets are going to the raffle prize bag and the other stuff in that photo going in the bin. The bookmarks are ones which are either broken or which we don't ever use because we don't like them in books. The USB cord only half works and we have loads, so it's going in the bin. The magazine is pretty much used (recycling bin) and the book isn't something we'll use  (charity shop).

Book 37: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

First in a trilogy; fantasy set in a future where a significant percentage of the population has psychic powers of one sort or another, but those people are being systematically wiped out & persecuted. Nice premise, some interesting revelations about the world within the book - all is not as it first appears, and great characters.  Looking forward to the next one.

Dinner, 14/5/18: Sausages, Mash, Green Beans

May declutter, day 14: 14 items (105 total)

A few more items from the hallway - some gloves, a bag strap, a hat Sarah doesn't wear, a pair of Superman converse which the girls bought in a charity shop, which I love, but they are a size too big, so it really doesn't work. then some stuff from upstairs - some old watches, a canister of film which is probably 15 years old, Alex's old calendar, and some puzzles which we'll never put together again.  We still need to clear out the rest of the bookcase where the puzzles live, but I'm waiting for one of the kids to be free to help me.

May declutter, Day 13: 13 items (91 total)

These items are mostly from the set of drawers in the hallway which had all the hair bands in it - gloves, hats, all that. Here are some handwarmers, some gloves which no one wears, Alex's panda hat (which I was kind of sorry to see go - he LOVED that hat, but even if it still fit him, which it doesn't, I can't imagine him wearing it any more). A couple of extra bags for life and the last item, from the kitchen, a free sample of glucotabs, which no one uses. It's been there for years.

May declutter, Day 12: 12 items (78 total)

Some of this is hair stuff from the same drawer (notice I've counted that enormous pile of mismatched clips as one item!), and some of it is from different drawers in the same unit - a broken umbrella, some umbrella sleeves for umbrellas we no longer have; a pair of goggles which no one likes because they leak, an old pair of ear muffs.  Most of it is going in the bin, but a few things goign to the charity shop.

Dinner, 11/5/18: Filled pasta with tomato sauce

A very simple weeknight supper after a long week, with a busy weekend ahead.

May declutter, Day 11: 11 items (66 total)

Same drawer as yesterday's haul - and again - hair things which would never be used these days.

May Declutter, Day 10: 10 items (55 total)

In our drawers in the hallway, there was a drawer with hair stuff in it - it's been there for years, since the girls were small enough to need last minute hair treatments before heading out to school.  It really needed a clear out. So here are 10 various hairbands which definitely would never be used these days.

Dinner, 9/5/18: Lentil Salad with salsa verde & cornbread

Another dinner which got pushed back due to barbecues - luckily, it was something which saved well!

May declutter, day 9: 9 items (45 total)

Still working on the drawers in the kitchen - some of these things are from the general junk drawer, like the old AA cards and the extra keyring rings (I saved about 6 of them). The earbuds are from Alex's drawer - headphones always come with extra ear buds in different sizes - who knows why we tend to keep the sizes we don't use!  But Alex seemed to have the national collection of spare ear buds in his drawer.  All of this stuff went in the bin.

Dinner, 8/5/18: Courgette & Mushroom Tart

with a green salad.This meal was originally set for Sunday, but two different neighbours invited us to barbecues over the bank holiday weekend, so it kept getting pushed back. Finally!

May declutter, day 8: 8 items (36 total)

More things from Alex's drawer - some broken or used up things, a spare oyster card case (he got a new one a while back, which is more to his current taste), various other bits and pieces. Most of them bound for the bin, the oyster case to the charity shop.

May declutter, day 7: 7 items (28 total)

Today's items are a result of helping Alex clear out his drawer in the kitchen - the Tardis shaped box with key is going to the charity shop, the other things are either empty or broken, so they are going in the bin.