Ellie's renewed attempt for 2011!

Hey all! Welcome back to my new shot at 30. I'm already doing a similar challenge over at Musings of a Bookshop Girl except over there the books have to be published in 2009 or earlier to count. Over HERE, I'm counting any book I already owned before January 1st this year. Obviously it's always nice if a few of the dustier titles make it onto the list... Oh, and I'll stick to short summaries here - each book will be reviewed on the book's product page, my blog and my 75-Book Challenge threads if you want to read more... Links on my profile, as ever!

Wish me luck!

I'll keep the master list here. These books in bold italics have gone that extra step post-reading and made it off my shelves altogether and into the bookshop!

The Ones I've Pried Off Mount TBR So Far

1) The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld 1) - Gena Showalter (message 9)
2) Holes - Louis Sachar (message 16)
3) Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast - Bill Richardson (message 18)
4) Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen (message 28)
5) The Thirty-Nine Steps - John Buchan (message 28)
6) Killing Britney - Sean Olin (message 38)
7) Boys Don't Cry - Malorie Blackman (message 39)
8) The Reformed Vampire Support Group - Catherine Jinks (message 40)
9) Icefire - Chris D'Lacey (message 41)
10) Stone Cold - Robert Swindells (message 45)
11) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (message 46)
12) Bloodstream - Tess Gerritsen (message 50)
13) Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters (message 51)
14) Don't Mention the War!: A Shameful European Rail Adventure - Stewart Ferris and Paul Bassett (message 52)
15) Beach Babylon - Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anon. (message 55)
16) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Süskind (message 58)
17) Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler (message 61)
18) The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld 2) - Gena Showalter (message 66)
19) Owl Cry - Deborah van der Beek (message 67)
20) How Reading Changed My Life - Anna Quindlen (message 67)
21) Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher (message 68)
22) Does Anything Eat Wasps? And 101 Other Questions - ed. Mick O'Hare (message 75)
23) My Cousin Rachel - Daphne du Maurier (message 76)
24) So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading - Sara Nelson (message 77)
25) The Princess Bride - William Goldman (message 78)
26) Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick (message 82)
27) Look Back in Hunger - Jo Brand (message 84)
28) Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallander 1) - Henning Mankell (message 85)
29) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan (message 86)
30) Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman (message 87)
31) The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz (message 98)
32) Atonement - Ian McEwan (message 118)
33) Nickolai of the North - Lucy Daniel Raby (message 119)

I know I was keeping a list of other books I'd shipped out of here as well, but with the massive clean-out plus the additional rethink of some of my surplus paper books based on Kindle availability now I've got my new toy, it was getting impossible to keep up! Suffice to say, the number is much bigger than I could possibly have hoped, so all in all I'm happy!

*Pokes star button*

Hi Ellie!

Schtarred! Happy new year!

Starred! I ought to revive my thread from last year since I left it to gather dust about half-way through the year. My TBR pile has increased more than it's gone down in 2010 :S

Exactly - hence the trying again this year! And with the blog challenges spurring us on too, maybe we'll even hold true for a little longer than ten minutes this time!
*whistles innocently as she returns to her groaning post-Christmas Amazon basket for a little blow-out*

Oh dear... ...when you make an e-basket groan you know you have some problems! :P

Maybe you'll get your first one knocked off during the readathon today? That's one of my mini-goals, but who knows if I'll actually do it or not.

Hey, I did as well! And I didn't even remember... Well, here we go then, hooray!

1) The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (3*, added Aug 26 2010) - The first of the 'Lords of the Underworld' series, about a bunch of muscular antiheroes, each with a demon fused into his very being, living in a castle on a Budapest hillside. It all kicks off when Maddox, the bearer of Violence, finds a young woman on the hillside and against his better judgement, brings her back to the castle... Maybe it was the whole 'reading it at 3am' thing but I didn't feel like there was a whole lot of steam and chemistry considering it's marketed as a paranormal romance - but then, the mythology Showalter's created, and the premise of the series, is fascinating and fast-paced enough to redeem it a bit. Good brain candy! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Woot! Congrats on your first book back into the shop! I remember you talking about the hunks during the readathon, and that it was good brain candy - does it compare to something else? I'm wondering if I should start this series or not. (I know that I really shouldn't, but I want to.)

Ummmm, not sure. I've not really read adult paranormal fantasy before, mainly teen stuff so far since that's what kinda floods the blogs... Maybe you could just buy this one and see what you think before you go mad for the series? Being me, I bought four at once just for the covers, so I'm all set!

Anyone else got a good comparison to help me out here?! :-)

Do movies count? :P

Are they movies that could be primarily bought from dingy shops with blacked-out windows where men emerge with brown paper bags under their arms?

Then no. ;-)

That's a negatory on the movies, Stephen. Have you been venturing out to "the shops" recently?

Thanks for that, Ellie.

I'm currently hooked into the Riley Jenson series (courtesy of Sara/saraslibrary), which is excellent BTW, and the main character is part werewolf and she's in love with a vampire. Cheesy as I was expecting the first book to be, I fell right into it and quickly grabbed the rest of them from the library. There are 3 left in the series that were published in 2010, and then I think that's the end of the series, so I'm trying to space them out. I figured a replacement series would help delay The End. *sigh*

Hope you are off in Dreamland, Ellie!

Ellie: ...oh... :P

Laura: Nope. Could you imagine a shy and easily-embarrassed guy like me walking up to the counter with a movie like that in hand? Oh dear lord, no way!

2) Holes by Louis Sachar (4*, added Sep 19 2010) - Quirky, funny, brilliant YA novel about Stanley Yelnats and his unexpectedly exciting stay at Camp Green Lake, a young offender's camp that's all about building character through digging holes. Many, many holes. Stories about Stanley's family are also told: about his great-great-grandfather who was cursed by an old Egyptian woman, and about his great-grandfather who was robbed by the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow and left for dead. When Stanley's family past and back-breaking present start to collide, life at Camp Green Lake will never be the same again... Wonderful, wonderful book. Needless to say, this one's staying safely on my shelves!

Good luck :) I've added your blog to my GoogleReader.

Hi Yvann! Thanks for the good luck wishes - I'm going to need all the luck I can get, and a whole lot of will power I am yet to discover... Or possibly just to be locked up for a year without access to bookshops and Amazon. That might do it. :-)

3) Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson (4*, added Sep 24 2009) - Another quirky novel, only this time in a whimsical sense rather than a surreal one. It's about two bookish brothers who run a B&B where people can come to read and escape. Each brother narrates his own sections of the book, and there are also testimonials from guests, recipes, book lists and even a little poetry. A lovely and very amusing cosy read just made for a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea! Off the shelf - into the shop!

I've read Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast and truly enjoyed that book. It's a light read and really fun. It's a wonderful read for us "bookish" types,too! :)

I have the book's sequel which I keep intending to read. Maybe just being reminded that I do have it is the impetus I needed to pull it off my shelf.

I just found out there was a sequel and added it to my wishlist with some satisfaction. Now I know I can be a good girl and clear the book off my shelves, but if I feel the need for another dose of BBBB I can just buy the next one! :-)

Ooh, sounds good, it's on the wishlist... along with 746 others. This is getting out of hand. Last night I made a foolish promise to the other half that for the whole of February, I will not borrow any library books, and will concentrate on budging some of the TBR mountain range. I hadn't considered that my wishlist is also completely ridiculous.

Oh, bibliomania, my friend, my foe... my flat-consuming fiend!

If you liked Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast, you might like Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic by the same author. Imagine that the cats inhabiting Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris are the reincarnated souls of those buried there....

I've not read Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast yet, but I own it, based on how much I loved Waiting for Gertrude!

Waiting for Gertrude looks adorable. Wishlisted it...in less than two seconds. :)

Thanks for the suggestion, Terri!

Oh maaaaan, another one?! *huffs off to Amazon wishlist* Thanks Terri! :-)

Poke - I KNOW!!!! I got all those nice bookcases and everything and was doing soooooo well, all tidy after Christmas and now there are books heaped on the coffee table again. It's only two weeks into January, how did I amass all these newbies already?! Okay, actually, I can answer that. I nicked three from our bookshop 'holding room' (the attic at home), I nicked a fair few from the bookshop 'imminent holding room' (the office), I got some in the post, a stray SantaThing book showed up, I accidentally went to a charity shop or two our first week back at work... Yeah, that'd be it. *sigh*

*Reads over Ellie's list of reasons for her utterly cluttered house of books*

Phew, glad my name wasn't mentioned there.

By the way, did I mention I'll be reading a memoir written by a man who worked in a Soviet Union bioweapons facility? Now how cool is that!? *nudge nudge* :P

Just added both Bill Richardson books to my wishlist. *le sigh*

I'm really tempted to buy Waiting for Gertrude since my library system doesn't have it and it's apparently out of print. Must Resist Purchases.

Hear hear!

Aaaaah, another read-a-thon works its Books Off The Shelf magic! And BOTH books I finished are going off to the shop for a new life (hic)...

4) Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (4*, added Feb 26 2009) - A magical novel that reminded me of Practical Magic, Chocolat and Like Water for Chocolate. The Waverley women have always had special gifts and ended up slightly removed from town life as a result. For gentle Claire, that has meant a quiet life in her grandmother's old house, tending her famously mysterious garden and running a catering company. But when handsome Tyler moves in next door and her wayward sister Sydney arrives back in her life, Claire's life is going to be turned completely upside down... Frothy and amusing, but also has some real moments of suspense and darkness. Recommended! Off the shelf - into the shop!

5) The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (3.5*, added Feb 12 2009) - Classic spy novel in which the unfortunate Richard Hannay becomes entangled in a devious plot to spark a war between Russia and Germany. When Franklin Scudder, the man who has come to him for help after discovering the plot, is killed in his apartment, Hannay finds himself on the run not only from the police, who suspect him of murder, but also from Scudder's real murderers, who know he knows too much. Lots of running across moors and amazing strokes of luck - but it's an absorbing enough little read if you've got a few hours to spare. Off the shelf - into the shop!

Oooh, well done Ellie! I disappear for a few days, and I miss a readathon! :-( Garden Spells sounds like a good one, I've just acquired The Sugar Queen and am very much looking forward to a sweet-toothed adventure!

Ooooh, me too! I've got that one waiting for me, and The Girl Who Chased the Moon on my wishlist. Never fear, sweet Poke, I think the read-a-thon addiction is spreading - a few newbies joined in this time and seemed to enjoy themselves - so I'm sure there'll be another one soon! In fact, despite vowing I wasn't going to keep doing them every week I'm already wondering... :-)

Oh dear...hmm...maybe your 'thon should be to have a read-a-thon every week! Like, ummm, a readathon-a-thon!

Actually, I'm considering doing a kind of experimental read-a-thon this week. Instead of running a full-blown one and playing hostess, where I kinda feel I have to be awake every hour to post and motivate and get the memes running and everything, I'm going to try something a little different. Basically, that 24 hours is going to be a little bubble in time. No day, no night, and no hourly wake-up calls if I drop off. I might even get up off the floor this time and read in bed! I'm going to read when I like, sleep when I like, stop for a break when I like, eat when I'm hungry, and see what happens. Will I read more or less? Be more or less motivated? Feel more or less like death at about 4am? It might be interesting to compare the results with my usual read-a-thons... And hopefully I'll still get a book or two read in time to write the reviews at work on Thursday!

*Wipes brow* Phew! What a relief.

Err, umm, I mean, good for you! ;)

Ellie, that sounds like an excellent plan. I've often thought of doing that myself, but then the temptation to watch the whole of "Lark Rise to Candleford" or clean my house takes over and I do that instead. Good luck, and I eagerly await your progress after your Read-a-thon Bubble!

I know, that's going to be the problem I think... Without the structure, it could all fall apart in minutes! I've been reading a fair amount at work today so hopefully that'll have helped me in the right direction, and I've practically OD'd on Gilmore Girls recently, so there's a chance it could all go well. And I had a really good night's sleep last night. BUT it's been a hectic few days here, so maybe I'll get tired... Okay, enough panicking. I'll see how it goes! I've got to get home first - cleaning to do at the shop, laundry to start at home, food shopping arriving, so I'll get all that done before I worry too much! *she says, while secretly looking forward to her little Bubble and getting all the nice shiny books out to play with again*

I hope it goes well, Ellie. If you find you aren't reading much, you could always try my 1-chapter-per-hour technique. And who knows, you might 'force' yourself to read that 1 teensy little chapter and forget to stop reading. ;)

Well hey, what a surprise, I barely read a thing... Well, I finished a library book and read a few pages of another, but it wasn't much at all. Instead, I watched GG, had a glorious night's sleep, then spent most of yesterday down in the main house overhauling my iTunes library. Which turned out to be way more satisfying! I don't think I was in the reading mood really. Anyway, I moved all my music around, re-rating things so my current faves were at the top and deleting things that make me lunge for the remote when they come on, and bought LOADS of new music. Old Abba and Queen faves, a few 'blast from the past' old boyband songs, some eighties rock, and a whole load of Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles... Marvellous!

6) Killing Britney by Sean Olin (4*, added Aug 25 2010) - Young adult thriller that really surpassed my expectations. The mounting deaths are pretty gory, so probably better for older teens - but it's really, genuinely exciting, which isn't something every author manages to pull off. Britney, still getting over the death of her mother in a freak accident, has managed to turn herself from an ugly duckling into a swan and get in with the popular kids - but when people start dying all around her she has to wonder, does someone hate her new persona enough to kill her? Plenty of red herrings and claustrophobic tension, and an ending that packs a chilling punch even if you'd already started to tentatively put the pieces together for yourself... Off the shelf - into the shop!

7) Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman (4*, added Nov 16 2010) - New novel from one of the stalwarts of YA literature. 17 year-old Dante is horrified when his ex turns up on his doorstep with a baby in tow, and even more horrified when she 'pops to the shops' and never comes back. It's going to be a steep learning curve as he has to learn to take care of little Emma and make some big decisions about his future. At the same time, his younger brother Adam, out and proud, is battling the vicious homophobia of his peers. A brilliant novel with likeable characters, a strong plot, moments that made me laugh and moments that made me cry. Recommended! Off the shelf - into the shop!

8) The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks (3.5*, added May 8 2010) - Fun YA novel that turns vampire mythology and popular culture on its head. Nina is a vampire, and a writer of dramatic vampire fiction - though she's 'no Stephenie Meyer' - but her life is far from that of her heroine, Zadia Bloodstone. On the contrary, she is frail and sick, not to mention fed up of being treated like a child despite having been infected back in the 70s - and to top it off, her therapy group find themselves caught up in a criminal underworld of vampire slaying and werewolf fights... Amusing, clever and very enjoyable! Off the shelf - into the shop!

9) Icefire by Chris d'Lacey (3.5*, added Aug 27 2010) - Another YA novel for the half-term week, this time about dragons... This is a deceptively complex novel about a young man who becomes entangled in a magical world of dragons, both the small model ones his landlady makes and the legend of the last living dragon Gawain. There are polar bears and ice kingdoms, seers and Inuits, shape-shifters and destinies at work here, and it's a really interesting little read. The little clay dragons are wonderful characters! As it turns out this is the second in a series, but I didn't feel like I missed much wading in late - I'll order the rest soon, I'm sure! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Hey, I'm not doing too badly this year, am I? Nearly a third of the way to my goal and we're not even into March yet. Maybe there's hope for me after all? I keep trying to think to myself, "Why are you keeping this book? Do you think you'll actually re-read it? Perhaps it's something unusual that will be hard to find again? Or are you just hanging onto it to say, 'yes, I've read this!' or out of some vague idea that one day your kids/nieces and nephews/other random children should be able to read it from your shelves?" Trying to reason my way out of keeping a book seems to be working!

Hello mrs! You certainly are doing well this year indeedles. I have the same problem with hanging onto books with the vague thought that some as-yet-unimagined child might appreciate my hoarding skillz one day. If I were reasonable, I would consider the fact that my dad has been hoarding books since the 1960s and to be honest, I can't imagine I will ever appreciate inheriting a dusty library of gardening books and his crashingly dull university textbooks. He lent me one once, when I was thinking of doing politics at university. It put me RIGHT off.

My conclusion? My children probably won't want to read my books and thus I should get rid of more of them. Although I refuse to give in with regard to my much-beloved books from my own childhood. I will MAKE them read Goodnight Mr Tom et al because they are wonderful.

Totalitarian dictator? Me? Never!

Yo Poke! I definitely hang onto books I loved as a child, but that's partially because I can't let them go and will probably, let's face it, enjoy perusing them again for nostalgia's sake over the years. And the really important stuff will stick around by its own merit anyway. The Diary of a Young Girl, for example, will never leave my shelves. I just have to remind myself that more fiction will come along, and up-to-date non-fiction will replace the spot-on book I just read and adored, so I should probably just Let It Go. Those imaginary kids are just going to have to be happy with my library of the moment, and miss out on all these books I've released into the wilderness already! ;-)

10) Stone Cold by Robert Swindells (3*, added Aug 26 2010) - YA novel about a young boy who has to learn to live on the streets after he moves to London to escape an abusive home life. When his new friend Ginger disappears suddenly, and a handful of other 'dossers' vanish too, he becomes convinced that something awful is happening and starts to fear for his life. A great read as a thought-provoking introduction to the topic of homelessness, particularly for school-age kids, but the thriller aspect falls a bit flat. Off the shelf - into the shop!

11) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (4.5*, added Dec 1 2009) - Explosive and grim YA novel set in a dystopian future in which a dreadful reality show, designed to keep citizens of the country of Panem in their place, pits twenty-four children against each other in an epic fight to the death. The story follows Katniss, a girl who has volunteered in her sister's place, in a fight for survival against the elements of the vast arena, as well as her fellow 'tributes'. An amazing start to the trilogy that doesn't pull any punches, made me cry and kept me glued to the pages all day. I'd describe it as a kind of cross between Big Brother, Gladiator and The Lord of the Flies in its exploration of the role of the media, of imbalance and injustice in society, and of what it means to be human. This one isn't going anywhere... at least not until I've read the last two books and am very sure I want to let go of them!

I'm in the middle of the second Hunger Games book right now and loving it! I actually thought the first one was a very good, solid YA novel but not necessarily anything incredibly special, but the further I get with the series, the more deeply impressed I am with it.

Good to know! It's always nice to think that the next novel will be as much of a treat as the first... Next time I have a totally free day off (one of those all-chores-done, no-prior-commitments days of bliss) to really get stuck into a book I'll know what to reach for!

I hope you like it as much as I did! I just finished it, and am eager to get to book three.

12) Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen (4.5*, added July 25 2010) - This is a taut medical thriller in which a wave of murderous violence sweeps through the teenagers of a small lakeside town, hideously replaying a similar bout of aggression that scandalised the area nearly fifty years ago. Claire, the new town GP, is determined to find a medical cause for the strange symptoms displayed by the seemingly possessed adolescents - even if it means going up against the locals intent on keeping things under wraps to preserve their area's tranquil image. It is chilling, exciting, horrific and fascinating by turns, a real page-turner, and was a fantastic choice for me as my first Gerritsen and one of my first forays into the world of crime thriller fiction. Recommended! Off the shelf - into the shop!

13) Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (4.5*, added April 20 2008) - My first Sarah Waters, but definitely not my last. The quote on the back from The Independent, which describes the novel as a sexy and picaresque romp through the lesbian and queer demi-monde of the roaring Nineties, pretty much sums it up! It follows the fortunes of Nancy Astley, a Whitstable oyster girl who falls in love with Kitty Butler, a music-hall masher, and embarks on a new life that takes her from music-hall stardom to masquerading renter to kept boy to true love. Divinely written and deliciously risque - I loved it!

14) Don't Mention the War!: A Shameful European Rail Adventure by Stewart Ferris and Paul Bassett (2.5*, added June 18 2010) - A fairly badly written, bad-taste piece of travel writing about three friends and their second culture-free trip around Europe. Think Top Gear road trip meets American Pie. It's quite amusing, particularly if you're a teenage male I would think, and decidedly un-PC, but the style soon wears thin. Still, I was reading it at a fairly worrying time at home, so it did its job and made me smile a bit when I needed it most! I won't be in a hurry to find its predecessor though... Off the shelf - into the shop!

Hello Ellie!

I love, love, loved Tipping the Velvet! The last one sounds dreadful, don't think I'll bother! Hope you are very well indeed x

Hey Poke! It wasn't TOO dreadful - but it was definitely more of a time-filler than a valuable read, if you see what I mean! It did its job and got me through a crap week though, so kudos to it for that...

I adored Tipping the Velvet - I just can't believe it's taken me so long to get to it! My copy has an inscription inside from my friend, Christmas 2005! *looks suitably ashamed of herself* What an amazing character Nan King is, it just got better and better... Okay, now I'm gushing. :-)

15) Beach Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anon. (4*, added Sept 7 2009) - This was such a fun read! It's basically Hotel Babylon (an exposé drawn from the experiences of an industry lifer) except it's set in a luxury island resort instead of a London hotel. It's a madcap seven days in the life of a resort manager, who is tasked with keeping the island perfect, looking after some of the richest people in the world, and making sure his staff survive another week in paradise! Very enjoyable - I'll be looking forward to the other Babylon books still sitting on my shelves! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Hey Ellie! I just picked up my copy of Hotel Babylon a few minutes ago, thinking I'd like to start reading it this weekend during Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-thon. I had no idea there were more books (or even that this is a series)! Looks like I'll have to trawl AmazonUK and/or BookDepository for more of them. Unless maybe I could buy your copy in your online store?

Hi Laura! Hotel Babylon has been adapted for TV and ran for several series, and as well as Beach Babylon, the other books include Air Babylon, Pop Babylon, Wedding Babylon and Fashion Babylon. Happy reading! My copy's currently sitting in our inbox tray for Mum to read, and it won't be going online I'm afraid - we don't have our own online store and use our AbeBooks storefront only for out-of-print and hard-to-find books... It doesn't really fit the Abe mould! :-)

I wish I could be doing the Dewey Read-a-Thon... *sigh*... Damn you, busy Bakewell weekends!

16) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind (4*, added March 25 2009) - Another modern classic that's been sitting on my shelf for far too long! This book is a sensory explosion. It's about Grenouille, a young man with an incredible nose that enables him to differentiate and discern odours that no one else could detect, and his quest to create the ultimate perfume made from the scents of young virgins. Every scent in the book is described in a tirade of description, which can be sublime one moment and a bit much the next, but it's a really unusual and accomplished novel. That's not very good explanation, but it's really not easy TO explain! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Thanks for the info, Ellie! Yeah, didn't think it would fit on AbeBooks, but it doesn't hurt to ask! They only showed the first 2 seasons of Hotel Babylon on BBC America, but I liked it, it was fun. I didn't know there were that many others - looks like I'll be getting in some more trouble on Book Depository than I thought! ;)

Fortunately I already have a couple of them, but I'll be shopping myself before long, I think... Good news - I just checked and that list is IT, she hasn't written any more of 'em yet, so at least you don't have to worry about being hijacked by unknown Babylon books when you hit Book Depository! ;-)

17) Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (3*, added Sep 16 2010) - Fun, frothy girlie novel about an American woman, Courtney Stone, who goes to sleep one night in 21st century LA, and wakes up in the body of Jane Mansfield, an English Regency girl straight out of the Austen novels Courtney loves so much. All the Austen elements are there: the kindly father, the ridiculous mother, the kindly friend, the dashing yet suspiciously perfect hero... The ending was slap-dash and inconclusive, which was incredibly irritating, but I enjoyed the rest, with its modern slant on the realities of Regency life. Off the shelf - into the shop!

I've got this one on my shelf too, and the sequel as well. I figured I'd save them for a reading slump so I can finish it (hopefully) quickly and then move on.

I haven't ordered any Babylon titles yet either - I'm trying to implement some rules on my book shopping habits and one of them is that I'm no longer allowed to purchase any books in a series unless I have already read the first. Looks like Imogen will have to wait a bit until I get around to it.

Hey, have you watched the movie of "Perfume" yet? I did before I realized that it was the same as the book, and while it was certainly strange it was also kind of grimly beautiful.

Babylon's not a series though - it's a bunch of exposes on totally different subjects, written by the author with the help of a long-time industry insider. So that's okay, right?! *cackles evilly*

I read the book last week BECAUSE of the movie - I saw it coming up in on the TV schedules so I thought I'd read the book, quick, so I could treat myself to a movie night. I actually liked the film better than the book, though it may have helped that I had all that extra background from the book first. The film actually made me cry at the end, and added emphasis to certain plot points to heighten the suspense and poignancy above what they were in the novel. Oh, and the cinematography and music were GORGEOUS!

I know, it was really beautiful. See now I want to read Perfume too! And it's looking at me from the shelf, talking to me, taunting me to read it and ignore everything else on my coffee table. I'll try and resist for now, but ... I'll probably cave in the next day or two. I have very little resolve regarding books.

And, young lady, you are evil for sure! How dare you read my very own thoughts that they're not a series and that it would certainly be okay for me to buy another one or two or four. No, no, I must resist! I must! :)

I give it a couple of days. You know there's no point resisting, don't you? *cackles just as evilly, but a tad more quietly and a whole lot more persuasively*

I've done a very bad thing and filled my Amazon basket with new books and used books, LOTS AND LOTS OF BOOKS (*cackles again, only this time in more of a 'Live! LIVE!!!' mad scientist kind of way*)... Now, I have £87 of unused Amazon vouchers in my email inbox. I know, I counted. But I also have about 1200 unread books on my shelves. So how many of those books will I delete from said basket, and how many will be winging their way here before the week's out? ;-)

18) The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld 2) by Gena Showalter (3.5*, added Aug 26 2010) - Superior second novel in the series, this time about Lucien, who is bonded with the demon of Death, and his new love interest Anya, goddess of Anarchy. Evidently Showalter hasn't heard of building tension via subtlety when it comes to her characters' romances, but Lucien is a much more complex character than Maddox and Anya is hilarious! Oh, and the cover model's pretty hunky too... ;) Off the shelf - into the shop!

19) Owl Cry by Deborah van der Beek (4.5*, added Jun 7 2010) - Beautiful children's book about a young orphan, his new potential adoptive father, and his relationship with an injured baby barn owl. It's sweet, it's heartbreaking, its funny, and there are the cutest little illustrations by the author adding to its charm. Highly recommended for the youngsters in the family - and the plain young at heart! Off the shelf - into the shop!

20) How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen (4*, added Jun 29 2010) - A set of sort-of essays that blend into one extended piece about the value of books, covering everything from book snobbishness to childhood favourites to future technology. Quindlen's prose is delicious, her topics pertinent, and I thoroughly enjoyed savouring each section and rolling it together into a well reasoned bookish whole. Recommended!

21) Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (3.5*, added Nov 16 2010) - Amusing, insightful, though definitely madcap rollercoaster of a ride through Carrie Fisher's life, from her relationship with Debbie Reynolds to phone calls with Cary Grant, her family's predilection for multiple marriages to her battle with manic depression. It's short and sketchy (and apparently if you've seen her show it's much the same) but it's a fun little read... Off the shelf - into the shop!

Wow, over 200 gone off the shelves now, including the ones that actually count for this challenge. Who'd have thought that clearing out some of the obsolete stuff and, well, crap, would be so darn satisfying?! I never thought it worked for books, only other stuff! Let's hope I don't go too mad and end up with three books left by the end... *bursts into giggles at the very thought*... Na, maybe not!

Congrats Ellie, that's some serious shelf space opened up! Now, the big question is - can you tell a difference? (Usually whenever I do a clear-out it pretty much looks the same!)

I could for a while - there were huge gaping holes on each shelf - but then I started fillin' em back up with all those stacks of books still on the floor and boom! Full again. Makes you realise how many books you've really got though, and how many awesome ones are still unread, and how long you must have had them for so many to be redundant now! :)

Preach it, Ellie!

Nah, it'd be too hypocritical given that I've nicked about six books from the uber-load that came into the shop today, AND my dad's on at me to do another Amazon order for my birthday since he didn't know what to get otherwise... :D

Besides, I'm running out of shelves to clear out and there's still too much bloody stuff on there! *sighs and puts her fading halo back in her pocket for another time*

Ellie's a machine!

22) Does Anything Eat Wasps? And 101 Other Questions edited by Mick O'Hare (4*, added Feb 20 2008) - A collection of offbeat scientific questions submitted to New Scientist's 'Last Words' page, together with readers' answers. Some serious, some in-depth, some hilarious, some pithy - all fascinating! Stuff like 'How long does a head stay alive after it's been cut off?' and 'Why do dark drinks cause more of a hangover than clear ones?' A great way to idle away an hour or three. Off the shelf - into the shop!

23) My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (4*, added Feb 1 2008) - A beautifully written novel of romance, jealousy, possession and intrigue. When his beloved cousin's beautiful widow, Rachel, arrives in England from Italy, young Philip Ashley doesn't know what to make of her. Was his cousin right in his feverish letters - did Rachel have a hand in his death? His obsession with this question drives the whole novel - and it's quite a ride! Off the shelf - into the shop!

24) So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson (4*, added Feb 20, 2008) - A nice bookish journal of a year in the reading life of a New York columnist and editor. From insomnia-ridden nights with a favourite novel to holidays with the classics, Nelson lays out her thoughts on each book, some insight into her reading habits, and her reflections on how her circumstances affect her enjoyment of each title. Plus there are loads of recommendations and great-sounding reads for me to look for later!

25) The Princess Bride by William Goldman (4.5*, added, Oct 13, 2008) - I saw the movie (and fell in love with Westley), now it was really about time I read the book! Of course I adored it; how could I not? If you like funny, beautifully written fairytales with giants, monsters, sword-fights, pirates, miracles, revenge, betrayal and, most importantly, true love, then you should probably read it!

Hello Miss Ellie;
I have missed our little talks. It is nice to see you doing so well and YOU ARE BLOGGING!~! I can't even begin to imagine how one blogs, but trust me....I will be reading yours and perhaps one day I will figure it out.
I just found out about this group today via tymfos and this is definitely a challenge I need to undertake. Hopefully I can do it with my 12/12/12 challenge & 75 gig next year. It is so late this year and I have my reading pretty much mapped out for me so I think I will wait for the first of the year to begin.
big hug,
~belva

Hi Belva, I was just thinking about you! I haven't had as much time to actively explore LT of late, and I seem to have lost a few people along the way. I'm so glad you found me again!

I am indeed blogging, twice over in fact - one for books, one for life. And I'll be doing this challenge again next year, I'm just hoping I manage to get to my 30 for 2011! :)

YOU CAN DO IT MISS ELLIE!~! I have faith in you. I know you can.

26) Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (3*, added Aug 5, 2010) - A slightly confusing start to the Fallen Angels series, in which feisty student Nora gets closer than she expects to her new biology partner, the enigmatic Patch. Someone is following her, someone is dangerous, someone is out to get her - is it Patch? Or is something more sinister afoot? Mostly set-up for the series, I think, and it got better as it went on and everything started to fall into place. I'll keep reading! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Didn't realise you were on LT too - hello from Twitter/blogging :) Yvann 26 off the shelves is good going for the year!

27) Look Back in Hunger by Jo Brand (3.5*, added Jul 4, 2010) - Amusing romp of an autobiography by earthy Brit comic Jo Brand. From her sweetest childhood memories, through the tearaway teens and into adult life, where she embraced counterculture and became a respected psychiatric nurse before finally moving into stand-up comedy, this is an every-woman's book which resounds with her deadpan humour. Off the shelf - into the shop!

Hi Yvann - fancy meeting you here! :)

28) Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (4.5*, added Sep 25, 2010) - Absorbing and tightly plotted crime novel about the investigation of a horrific double murder in an isolated farming community. It's the first Wallander novel, and gets deep into the mind of the inspector as he puzzles his way slowly towards finding the killers. A real brain workout but also a compulsive read with a very likeable hero - I'm so glad I have more of these books waiting on my shelves! Off the shelf - into the shop!

29) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (4*, added Feb 18, 2010) - Fascinating YA novel in which young Percy Jackson accidentally vaporises his maths teacher and finds out that he is half god. Not only that, but he is the son of one of the 'Big Three', Poseidon, there are countless hellish monsters out to get him, his best friend is a satyr, his Latin teacher is a centaur, and Zeus thinks he stole his master lightning bolt. It's going to be a busy summer! Very exciting, and I loved the wealth of Ancient Greek myth woven into the modern-day story. It's staying on my shelves and I'll be buying the rest of the series soon!

Woohoo, I made my 30! And six weeks still to go, yay!

30) Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (4*, added Aug 5, 2010) - I think I ruined this one for myself by having seen the film so many times - I'd never even HEARD of Alice Hoffman back then! *sighs* That said, this is another beautifully written book steeped in magic and the bonds of family and love. If I hadn't seen the movie first and kept comparing the different plots as I read, it might just have topped The Ice Queen as my favourite Hoffman. If you like Sarah Addison Allen, you'll love this! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Congrats, Ellie! :)

I really need to get to reading some of my own books as well. The library books are so tempting though! The barcodes they scan must have some secret allure that I'm unaware of, it's the only explanation.

That's one of the reasons I've joined so many challenges next year - I might not finish 'em all but it at least ENCOURAGES me to pick books from my own shelves. I'm trying to pick some of my oldest titles for that 'twelve books, two alternatives' list, and I've got a category for some really overdue reads for my '12 in 12' as well.

I think one of my problems is that my newest stuff ends up on my living room shelves or in piles there - and so it's very easily accessible. When I go through my shelves elsewhere I'm often surprised because I'd forgotten a lot of the books were there! That's why I try to have a little wander through my LT library every now and again, remind myself what's lying around if I could just be bothered to look for it!

I love your comment about Practical Magic! I practically had the movie memorized by the time I read the book and I think it made the book a little less enjoyable for me.

"Wait! That's not how it goes!!"

I have 3 books left for my TBR Challenge. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it with my book club and group reads taking top priority, but I'm going to try!

P.S. I also see in your library that you haven't read The Probable Future yet. It is my favorite of Alice Hoffman's so I would like to recommend it for your 2012 TBR Challenge!

Ahhh, see, I've already picked my 12 now! I've got multiple other challenges it could fit into though, so I'll bear it in mind for next year's reading...

I was definitely keeping the movie too close to the front of my mind when I read Practical Magic. There was less actual magic than I expected, and a lot more of Antonia and Kylie. Not that I didn't enjoy it - it was still gorgeous - but I loved the whole 'man who's too good to exist' thing with Gary in the movie, and Maria Owens' curse, and the fact that they were in the aunts' house. Oh well!

Oh, and I've still got several books left for the TBR Challenge, unfortunately... I'm reading Atonement and The Paradox of Choice, but the latter is really dragging. It's interesting but rather repetitive and I keep having to go back and re-read bits where I've lost my train of thought. After that I've still got A Fish Caught in Time, A Moveable Feast and The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly to go, all non-fiction. Maybe we'll get some bad weather before Christmas and the shop'll go dead enough for me to crack on!

You're doing great Ellie, and regardless of how many books you have left I don't really think it's possible for you to NOT consider this year a success, considering how many books you've purged and all. :)

Yes, but thanks to my tragically inept ability to catalogue books as they arrive (I gave up and shoved a load onto the shelves uncatalogued just this week - sacrilege!) I have no idea how many have come IN this year... I have a feeling the two figures are probably closer than I care to admit!

Oh dear! So many books you couldn't be bothered to catalog them? I'm deeply concerned. You do live on solid ground, don't you? I'm just worried about a sinkhole or a mudslide developing under all that weight.

Kidding, kidding, I'm sure it'll be fine...

On second thought, you really are at risk of causing the hillside to collapse. You know how they fix that kind of thing? Putting lots of weight near the bottom of the hill. For example, a local strip mall was built on a hill (like a giant mound with a flat top) and there was fear the sides of the hill would collapse, so they loaded the side of the hill with huge boulders.

So what I'm thinking is, you need to build several bunkers/storehouses all down the entire hill, and then fill them all with books. Problem solved.

What? Is that a bit of a stretch? It sounds reasonable to me... :P

Your mind is just... fascinating. Are you volunteering to be my Book Bunker Builder?

(Hehe, next time I have two sips of alcohol and get all giddy - I'm such a lightweight - I'm going to have a lot of fun trying to say that REALLY fast.)

31) The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz (3*, added Oct 22, 2009) - I was pretty disappointed by this book, which basically argues that too much choice - in education, consumer culture, romance, vacations, and just about everything else - can actually paralyse us when it comes to making decisions, and lead to a lot of regret, uncertainty and even depression. An intriguing premise, but unfortunately it rambled too much, and a lot of it already applied to me anyway so I didn't have any profound 'light-bulb' moments along the way. Off the shelf - into the shop!

Me? Your bunker builder? Well, sure, I would love to! I get paid in books, right?

Of course! And if you do REALLY well I might even let you come to the shop with me sometimes - as long as you sit nicely in the corner with your colouring book and don't frighten the customers... :)

Hurray! Okay, so I'm going to spend lots of time online researching bunkers and then I'm going to travel to a distant country to build them over there. You don't think that'll raise any suspicion, do you?

Oh, and how does an adult male sit in the corner of a room colouring and not frighten people? Hmmmm, how about I read hardcover microbial doom books and we can switch the dust jackets with ones that are more pleasant, like WWII memoirs...

I could tell people you're a very special boy. Or you could just go with the microbial doom thing. Don't bother switching jackets - in fact, we'll find a creepy cover like Parasite Rex. I find it amusing watching customers squirm. :)

Now I see why you find my mind fascinating, because you think I'm a very special boy! I'm like a study, a lab rat, a test subject for your observation and psychological experimentation! My feelings are hurt. Well, maybe...depends on what kinds of experiments you have in mind...

:P

Mwahahaha... *looks around at her 'laboratory' and thinks how spectacular it would look in an adult movie* I'm going to have a lot of fun with this.

What have I gotten myself into?

That's not what I meant, I know what the name for THAT is, I meant figuratively!

*cracks whip menacingly* Don't look so scared - or it'll only get worse... Hehe, told you this would be fun!

*Faints*

That's no excuse... *holds bucket of iced water menacingly over Stephen's head*

*Peeks out from under one eye* Is that a bucket of water...? So, what kind of experiment IS this? Like a wet t-shirt contest with lab coats? Hmmmm...well, anything for the collection of data, I'll participate. So where do I sit?

Over there in that big solid chair is just fine. Pay no attention to the pretty coloured wires coming out the back of it - that's just how we decorate for our particularly,er, honoured participants...

Decoration? I don't believe a word of it! That's one of those vibrating chairs, isn't it?

Ummm, yes, that's it! A vibrating chair. That's why we have to tie these leather straps round you, see, to stop you vibrating your way off the edge... We wouldn't want you being able to escape hurt yourself, now, would we?

Ha, I knew it! Most men are stupid sexist pigs who lose their heads when there is a pretty lady in the room. All they think about is sex sex sex, they are rude inconsiderate idiots who don't think about the implications of their actions! Good thing I'm not like that. *Gets comfy in kinky vibrating chair with a stupid grin on his face*

:P

Ahhh, yes, you just wait there patiently, and soon, your torture relaxation therapy will begin! *Heads off to familiarise herself with the shock levers vibration settings*

Hey, wait just a minute! I want to be the only one with a shock lever here! :(

Jeez, what the hell kinda lever are you packing in there?! I just cranked the 'relaxation machine' up by 25V for your impertinence... *smirks and waits*

*Twitches* Owww! I know they say it hurts the first time for some people, but I didn't think that applied to me...

32) Atonement by Ian McEwan (4.5*, added Aug 29, 2009) - Wow, this one was worth waiting for. It's such a complex and sweeping novel, taking in romance and betrayal, war and suffering, what it means to be young, what it means to be a writer... It's about a young girl, Briony, whose childish self-righteousness leads her to send an innocent man to jail, effectively destroying his life and that of her sister, Cecilia, who is in love with him. The two lovers must fight to be reunited through times of war - and as Briony grows up, her life is blighted by the crime she has committed, as she seeks atonement for what she's done. It's just sublime, with the most beautiful writing, some shocking and heartbreaking moments, and a lot to think about. Read it!

33) Nickolai of the North by Lucy Daniel Raby (3*, added Dec 19, 2010) - Festive offering for children (and the young at heart), about a baby elf boy, destined to become Santa Claus, who is rescued from a witch's clutches by a flying reindeer. He grows up in the nearest human village, making friends with the other children and carving wooden toys in his spare time. When rumours start flying of a wonderful Golden City to the north, Nickolai and his friends set out to investigate - but what they find is a strange and unnatural place where childhood is being threatened forever. Can Nick save the day? Great Christmas reading for kids! Off the shelf - into the shop!

Well, things are going well over here this year! I've hit my target of 30 books read off my shelves, and out of the 55 or so I've read altogether, that means well over half of them have been on my shelves since 2010 or earlier, which is great. Still time for a couple more yet, perhaps - and I wonder what I should set as my target for next year?

Congratulations and good luck with whatever goal you set for 2012!

Cheers m'dears! Maybe I'll take it up a tiny bit to 35 next year? We'll see what my final tally is for 2011, I suppose... :)