Pete's totally going to read TBR this year
Discussions2019 Category Challenge
Rejoignez LibraryThing pour poster.
Ce sujet est actuellement indiqué comme "en sommeil"—le dernier message date de plus de 90 jours. Vous pouvez le réveiller en postant une réponse.
1psutto
Or at least some of it
As posted in the 2018 gorup I'm going to read 5 books off the TBR per month - I'll probably try to theme each month too but just laying this down for now and will think about it closer to the end of 2018.
As posted in the 2018 gorup I'm going to read 5 books off the TBR per month - I'll probably try to theme each month too but just laying this down for now and will think about it closer to the end of 2018.
2psutto
January
Books acquired
tea with the black dragon
invitation to a beheading
invisible work
the act of creation
None of this is normal
Twisting the Rope
All of my friends are going to be strangers
Picnic at hanging rock
K Punk the writings of Mark Fisher
Dust of this planet
About Writing (ARC)
The weird and the eerie
the art of flight
The weird and the eerie
the mind of a menmonist
Books Read
Tea with the black dragon
The land of somewhere safe
The art of possibility
Jonesy: Nine lives on the Nostromo
Down in Demerara
Twisting the Rope
Dark Mountain Terra
Where I'm calling from
Extraordinary tales Borges
Picnic at Hanging Rock
All of my friends are going to be strangers
The dark masters trilogy
Invisible work
None of this is normal
Loosening skin
ghosts of my life
Relics
Invitation to a beheading
Books acquired
tea with the black dragon
invitation to a beheading
invisible work
the act of creation
None of this is normal
Twisting the Rope
All of my friends are going to be strangers
Picnic at hanging rock
K Punk the writings of Mark Fisher
Dust of this planet
About Writing (ARC)
The weird and the eerie
the art of flight
The weird and the eerie
the mind of a menmonist
Books Read
Tea with the black dragon
The land of somewhere safe
The art of possibility
Jonesy: Nine lives on the Nostromo
Down in Demerara
Twisting the Rope
Dark Mountain Terra
Where I'm calling from
Extraordinary tales Borges
Picnic at Hanging Rock
All of my friends are going to be strangers
The dark masters trilogy
Invisible work
None of this is normal
Loosening skin
ghosts of my life
Relics
Invitation to a beheading
3psutto
February
Books acquired
The assembly of the severed head
The fly trap
Draft no 4
Monkeys with typewriters
The art of the short story
The making of a story
Where Nightmares Come from
Capitalist Realism
The Poet's Cookbook
Film Adaptation
Books Read
Adventures in memory
Weird Bristol
Secret barrister
The assembly of the severed head
Technological Slavery
Draft no 4
In the dark room
the fly trap
The art of flight
the mind of a mnemonist
Books acquired
The assembly of the severed head
The fly trap
Draft no 4
Monkeys with typewriters
The art of the short story
The making of a story
Where Nightmares Come from
Capitalist Realism
The Poet's Cookbook
Film Adaptation
Books Read
Adventures in memory
Weird Bristol
Secret barrister
The assembly of the severed head
Technological Slavery
Draft no 4
In the dark room
the fly trap
The art of flight
the mind of a mnemonist
4psutto
March
Books acquired
An Actor's work
The actor's thesaurus
Creating a role
Ningen
save the cat
The savvy writers productivity guide
The fiction writers guide to dialogue
Blackfish City
Outlining Your Novel Box Set
Structuring Your Novel Box Set
The making of a story
The art of the short story
13 ways of looking at the novel
How to write like Tolstoy
Books Read
How to write an RFP
ningen
Monkeys with typewriters
Blackfish city
Another day of life
The weird and the eerie
The fiction writers guide to dialogue
The savvy writer's productivity guide
save the cat
Put the cat in the oven before you describe the kitchen
Writers workshop of horror
Meander, Spiral, Explode
Good Omens
Story Structure: The key to successful fiction
Books acquired
An Actor's work
The actor's thesaurus
Creating a role
Ningen
save the cat
The savvy writers productivity guide
The fiction writers guide to dialogue
Blackfish City
Outlining Your Novel Box Set
Structuring Your Novel Box Set
The making of a story
The art of the short story
13 ways of looking at the novel
How to write like Tolstoy
Books Read
How to write an RFP
ningen
Monkeys with typewriters
Blackfish city
Another day of life
The weird and the eerie
The fiction writers guide to dialogue
The savvy writer's productivity guide
save the cat
Put the cat in the oven before you describe the kitchen
Writers workshop of horror
Meander, Spiral, Explode
Good Omens
Story Structure: The key to successful fiction
5psutto
April
Books acquired
where shall we run to?
The art of plotting
Rosewater
The house of shattered wings
The house of binding thorns
Thin Air
Traitor God
God of Broken Things
Godblind
Darksoul
Adventures in numberland
When your life depends on it
The major works of Francis Bacon
Feynman
Books Read
Susurrus on Mars
where nightmares come from
Trivium
Dragonfly
where shall we run to
The honours
The sound on the page
The art of plotting
How long til black future month
The voice that thunders
The steel remains
Europe at Dawn
Headlopper
Bitch Planet
Negotiating with the dead
Godblind
Books acquired
where shall we run to?
The art of plotting
Rosewater
The house of shattered wings
The house of binding thorns
Thin Air
Traitor God
God of Broken Things
Godblind
Darksoul
Adventures in numberland
When your life depends on it
The major works of Francis Bacon
Feynman
Books Read
Susurrus on Mars
where nightmares come from
Trivium
Dragonfly
where shall we run to
The honours
The sound on the page
The art of plotting
How long til black future month
The voice that thunders
The steel remains
Europe at Dawn
Headlopper
Bitch Planet
Negotiating with the dead
Godblind
6psutto
May
Books acquired
Indistinguishable from magic
Rosewater Insurrection
Underland
How to write like Tolstoy
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Genre Writing)
On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Black Man
a short guide to writing about film
We can’t all be astronauts
The ice house
Infinite detail
Beast
Butchers crossing
My sister the serial killer
The strength to dream
Books Read
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Genre Writing)
Thirteen
Practical Meerkat's 52 bits of useful info
The traitor god
We can't all be astronauts
stop wasting time
On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Books acquired
Indistinguishable from magic
Rosewater Insurrection
Underland
How to write like Tolstoy
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Genre Writing)
On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Black Man
a short guide to writing about film
We can’t all be astronauts
The ice house
Infinite detail
Beast
Butchers crossing
My sister the serial killer
The strength to dream
Books Read
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Genre Writing)
Thirteen
Practical Meerkat's 52 bits of useful info
The traitor god
We can't all be astronauts
stop wasting time
On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
7psutto
June
Books acquired
Writing in a nutshell
The secret life of pronouns
Why will no-one publish my novel
Ten years in an open necked shirt
Ring of Bright Water
bird by bird
Undermajordomo minor
A natural history of dragons
Cambridge companion to Aphra Behn
The glorious revolution
Aphra Behn
The last revolution
Books Read
Thin Air
Infinite Detail
Capitalist realism
Beast by Paul Kingsnorth
Feynman
Why will no-one publish my novel
A natural history of dragons
Indistinguishable from magic
The secret life of pronouns
Books acquired
Writing in a nutshell
The secret life of pronouns
Why will no-one publish my novel
Ten years in an open necked shirt
Ring of Bright Water
bird by bird
Undermajordomo minor
A natural history of dragons
Cambridge companion to Aphra Behn
The glorious revolution
Aphra Behn
The last revolution
Books Read
Thin Air
Infinite Detail
Capitalist realism
Beast by Paul Kingsnorth
Feynman
Why will no-one publish my novel
A natural history of dragons
Indistinguishable from magic
The secret life of pronouns
8psutto
July
Books acquired
Playwriting by Stephen Jeffreys
Lost Gods
Lost objects
The poppy war
10 core practices for better writing
Coffinmaker's blues
The writer's book of doubt
179 ways to save a novel
John freeman Creative Writing
Oulipo Compendium
Books Read
the Ice House
Kings of the wyld
Ten years in an open necked shirt
the making of a story
10 Core practices for better writing
John Freeman, Creative Writing
Books acquired
Playwriting by Stephen Jeffreys
Lost Gods
Lost objects
The poppy war
10 core practices for better writing
Coffinmaker's blues
The writer's book of doubt
179 ways to save a novel
John freeman Creative Writing
Oulipo Compendium
Books Read
the Ice House
Kings of the wyld
Ten years in an open necked shirt
the making of a story
10 Core practices for better writing
John Freeman, Creative Writing
9psutto
August
Books acquired
Technique In Fiction
StoryCraft
Self-editing for fiction writers
The conspiracy against the human race
How to write an autobiographical novel
Going home, Raja Shehadeh
Books Read
Meddling Kids
Strangers in the house, raja shehadeh
How to write an autobiographical novel
The writer's book of doubt
the wicked and the divine, vol 1
the wicked and the divine, vol 2
the wicked and the divine, vol. 3
the wicked and the divine, vol. 4
the wicked and the divine, vol 5
Monstress Book one
Monstress volume 2
This is a voice
Books acquired
Technique In Fiction
StoryCraft
Self-editing for fiction writers
The conspiracy against the human race
How to write an autobiographical novel
Going home, Raja Shehadeh
Books Read
Meddling Kids
Strangers in the house, raja shehadeh
How to write an autobiographical novel
The writer's book of doubt
the wicked and the divine, vol 1
the wicked and the divine, vol 2
the wicked and the divine, vol. 3
the wicked and the divine, vol. 4
the wicked and the divine, vol 5
Monstress Book one
Monstress volume 2
This is a voice
10psutto
September
Books acquired
Adventures in Form
The strategy of style
Isaac Netwon's freemasonry
Isaac Newton the last sorcerer
Writing down the bones
sing your sadness deep
Invisible Agents
Creating short fiction
We don't go back
A year in the country
Arguments for socialism
Poems of Wilfred Owen
Books Read
Empire of Sand
Word Work
the science of storytelling
Adventures in form
writing down the bones
A season in another world
First you write a sentence
The acts of King Arthur
Books acquired
Adventures in Form
The strategy of style
Isaac Netwon's freemasonry
Isaac Newton the last sorcerer
Writing down the bones
sing your sadness deep
Invisible Agents
Creating short fiction
We don't go back
A year in the country
Arguments for socialism
Poems of Wilfred Owen
Books Read
Empire of Sand
Word Work
the science of storytelling
Adventures in form
writing down the bones
A season in another world
First you write a sentence
The acts of King Arthur
11psutto
October
Books acquired
Arguments for socialism
Poems of Wilfred Owen
This is how you lose the time war
Steering the craft
dreams must explain themselves
The spooky art
Folk Horror Revival at the museum
Folk Horror Revival: Field Studies
if you want to write
alternative afterlives
The hanging artist
This house of wounds
Skein island
Trial and Error
complete works of o henry
100 Fishponds road
H is for Hawk
Never trust a rabbit
Women's weird
Synthesis Weave
Dark Mountain Refuge
Books Read
The art of the short story
Creating short fiction
This is how you lose the time war
Folk Horror Revival at the museum
Steering the craft
Bird by bird
if you want to write
Skein Island
Trial and error
sing your sadness deep
Books acquired
Arguments for socialism
Poems of Wilfred Owen
This is how you lose the time war
Steering the craft
dreams must explain themselves
The spooky art
Folk Horror Revival at the museum
Folk Horror Revival: Field Studies
if you want to write
alternative afterlives
The hanging artist
This house of wounds
Skein island
Trial and Error
complete works of o henry
100 Fishponds road
H is for Hawk
Never trust a rabbit
Women's weird
Synthesis Weave
Dark Mountain Refuge
Books Read
The art of the short story
Creating short fiction
This is how you lose the time war
Folk Horror Revival at the museum
Steering the craft
Bird by bird
if you want to write
Skein Island
Trial and error
sing your sadness deep
12psutto
November
Books acquired
A Malaysian Journey
think like an artist
Sky Light Rain
The garden of evening mists
The child finder
Ghostland
spirits Abroad
The vintage book of amnesia
the great war of words
how to be a poet
poetry notebook, clive james
Dancing by the light of the moon
Across the land and the water
Plotting and writing suspense fiction
Books Read
K Punk, Mark Fisher
The monsters we deserve
Woodworm
think like an artist
A Malaysian Journey
Storycraft
Thomas Merton on Poetry
Undermajordomo minor
Tinderbox, megan dunn
Mr Shivers
When your life depends on it
Women's weird: Strange Stories by Women, 1890-1940
Zen in the art of writing
Plotting and writing suspense fiction
This house of wounds
Books acquired
A Malaysian Journey
think like an artist
Sky Light Rain
The garden of evening mists
The child finder
Ghostland
spirits Abroad
The vintage book of amnesia
the great war of words
how to be a poet
poetry notebook, clive james
Dancing by the light of the moon
Across the land and the water
Plotting and writing suspense fiction
Books Read
K Punk, Mark Fisher
The monsters we deserve
Woodworm
think like an artist
A Malaysian Journey
Storycraft
Thomas Merton on Poetry
Undermajordomo minor
Tinderbox, megan dunn
Mr Shivers
When your life depends on it
Women's weird: Strange Stories by Women, 1890-1940
Zen in the art of writing
Plotting and writing suspense fiction
This house of wounds
13psutto
December
Books acquired
Consider her ways and others
The seeds of time
Better Game character design
Story Trumps Structure
Pervasive Games
Here by Nightmares
In Translation
Dark Demon Rising
The Gods
The truth about writing
100 ways to improve your writing
silent running
The complete poems of WB Yeats
Asleep in the sun
Books Read
Head full of ghosts
The beauty
Dark Demon Rising
The Gods
Dark Mountain volume 15
Lake like a mirror
Silent Running
Seeds of Time
Windscale 1957
Books acquired
Consider her ways and others
The seeds of time
Better Game character design
Story Trumps Structure
Pervasive Games
Here by Nightmares
In Translation
Dark Demon Rising
The Gods
The truth about writing
100 ways to improve your writing
silent running
The complete poems of WB Yeats
Asleep in the sun
Books Read
Head full of ghosts
The beauty
Dark Demon Rising
The Gods
Dark Mountain volume 15
Lake like a mirror
Silent Running
Seeds of Time
Windscale 1957
15psutto
My TBR baseline at the start of 2018 was 473 books
252 Fiction books
1 Graphic Novel
181 Non-Fiction
4 poetry books
2 plays
33 short story collections
My TBR baseline at the start of 2019 is 337 books (not counting e-books)
211 Fiction books
0 Graphic Novel
75 Non-Fiction
2 poetry books
0 plays
48 short story collections
252 Fiction books
1 Graphic Novel
181 Non-Fiction
4 poetry books
2 plays
33 short story collections
My TBR baseline at the start of 2019 is 337 books (not counting e-books)
211 Fiction books
0 Graphic Novel
75 Non-Fiction
2 poetry books
0 plays
48 short story collections
16mstrust
Happy new thread! Seems like quite a few of us are making the pledge to read what we already own for 2019.
17Zozette
I also have very big TBR list but then I have had a few decades to accumulate them.
I hope you manage to get yours down a bit next year.
I hope you manage to get yours down a bit next year.
18psutto
Looking at my book buying stats i've bought more books in 2018 than I've read :-S I'm going to have to change that in 2019!
19rabbitprincess
Good luck! At least you will have plenty of books to choose from ;)
20MissWatson
>18 psutto: Good luck with that! I fail miserably, every year. But I love knowing that I'll never run out of stuff to read!
21LisaMorr
Good luck with your challenge - I've been on the 'wrong' side of that equation for a few years now...
22JayneCM
I do not think there will ever be a year where my TBR is not bigger than at the beginning of the year!
As is the catch cry of all readers, too many books, too little time!
Look forward to seeing what you are reading.
As is the catch cry of all readers, too many books, too little time!
Look forward to seeing what you are reading.
23psutto
OK so not counting e-books (which is a bit cheaty but hey it's my challenge and the e-books don't weigh on my mind - and my shelves) My TBR stands at 337 as of today.
I'm currently reading a book I got for Xmas - so that will come off the 2018 challenge if I finish it by the 1st (which I probably will)
My birthday is at the beginning of January so I'll be adding a few books to the books I acquired this month almost immediately...
So similar to 2018 I'm going to prioritise them - Hardbacks and books by woman and BAME writers then books acquired prior to 2018
I have 17 hardbacks...
I have 48 short story books. I haven't recorded how many of the books I read n 2018 were short story books, but I shall in 2019. Usually I read 3 short stories in between books and 3 essays/chapters of 'bitty' Non-fiction books. I feel I may have some short story books on the shelves for a long time!
64 books by women - so that's not a great ratio...
I'm currently reading a book I got for Xmas - so that will come off the 2018 challenge if I finish it by the 1st (which I probably will)
My birthday is at the beginning of January so I'll be adding a few books to the books I acquired this month almost immediately...
So similar to 2018 I'm going to prioritise them - Hardbacks and books by woman and BAME writers then books acquired prior to 2018
I have 17 hardbacks...
I have 48 short story books. I haven't recorded how many of the books I read n 2018 were short story books, but I shall in 2019. Usually I read 3 short stories in between books and 3 essays/chapters of 'bitty' Non-fiction books. I feel I may have some short story books on the shelves for a long time!
64 books by women - so that's not a great ratio...
25lkernagh
>23 psutto: - I like you thinking and can relate to the idea that e-books don't weigh on your mind or your shelves like the print books do!
26psutto
So last day of the year - just finished a book I got for Xmas (see the 2018 challenge) so I'll be starting tomorrow with a clean slate. Potentially getting another Xmas present today, seeing friends. Next time I check in I'll probably be another year older and adding January books that have been acquired...
Happy New Year! :-)
Happy New Year! :-)
27The_Hibernator
Happy New Year!
31VivienneR
You are so lucky to get books as Christmas and birthday gifts. My family never buy me books believing that I already own or have read them.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
32rabbitprincess
Happy new year and happy birthday when it comes! :)
33psutto
Thanks all
My birthday haul:
tea with the black dragon
invitation to a beheading
invisible work
the act of creation
My birthday haul:
tea with the black dragon
invitation to a beheading
invisible work
the act of creation
35MissWatson
Happy New Year and Happy Birthday! Nice haul!
37psutto
Books read -
Tea with the black dragon
This is a delightful, but brief tale about a black dragon that has taken on human form and who decides to help a human woman find her daughter. There's some quaint 1980's computer stuff too. I really liked MacAvoy's Damiano series when I was a teenager and getting to visit another of her worlds was a delight, reminding me that I should track down more of her work. I see on Wikipedia that she has just started writing again after a long illness (talking about a 20 year hiatus here) - I hope to catch up with the rest of her early (80'2, 90's ) stuff and the newer work
The land of somewhere safe
I met Hal at an event and he kindly gave me some writerly feedback on an early draft of my own novel seven deadly swords so I returned the favour on an RPG he's been writing (I used to edit for a RPG company) in the Scruffian universe. The Scruffian tales are full of rapier wordsmithery and invention and are a lot of fun - I'd recommend them. This particular episode I picked up at FantasyCon from a NewCon Press launch and signed by the man himself. It's a WW2 tale involving a faerie kingdom, a Nazi gryphon, a dragon called spitfire and a secret seven-esque cast of scruffs and scallywags. A really fun adventure. If you'd like to explore the Scruffian 'verse I'd start with A Scruffian Primer
Tea with the black dragon
This is a delightful, but brief tale about a black dragon that has taken on human form and who decides to help a human woman find her daughter. There's some quaint 1980's computer stuff too. I really liked MacAvoy's Damiano series when I was a teenager and getting to visit another of her worlds was a delight, reminding me that I should track down more of her work. I see on Wikipedia that she has just started writing again after a long illness (talking about a 20 year hiatus here) - I hope to catch up with the rest of her early (80'2, 90's ) stuff and the newer work
The land of somewhere safe
I met Hal at an event and he kindly gave me some writerly feedback on an early draft of my own novel seven deadly swords so I returned the favour on an RPG he's been writing (I used to edit for a RPG company) in the Scruffian universe. The Scruffian tales are full of rapier wordsmithery and invention and are a lot of fun - I'd recommend them. This particular episode I picked up at FantasyCon from a NewCon Press launch and signed by the man himself. It's a WW2 tale involving a faerie kingdom, a Nazi gryphon, a dragon called spitfire and a secret seven-esque cast of scruffs and scallywags. A really fun adventure. If you'd like to explore the Scruffian 'verse I'd start with A Scruffian Primer
38DeltaQueen50
Great to see you back for another year of the Challenge, Pete. I think many of us here are going to be working on clearing our own shelves this year. I can't put my e-books out of my mind as I am afraid that my Kindles are going to explod from the volume I have crammed on them!
39psutto
Yeah, my Kindle books probably double the TBR! But a lot of them come from ARCs and bundled deals rather than books I was, at the point of purchase, desperate to read - so more ignorable than the ones making my bookshelves groan :-o
Another read book - the art of possibility this was recommended to me as a “good book for creativity” but really it’s full of vague aspirational self-help stuff. There’s an entire chapter on how not taking yourself seriously can improve your life and another in accepting things the way they are. So nope not for me
Another read book - the art of possibility this was recommended to me as a “good book for creativity” but really it’s full of vague aspirational self-help stuff. There’s an entire chapter on how not taking yourself seriously can improve your life and another in accepting things the way they are. So nope not for me
41psutto
I'm currently doing a 7 day blog tour for my book Seven Deadly Swords if anyone's interested - day 3 is a nice (and balanced) review: https://mbc84blog.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/seven-deadly-swords-peter-sutton-love...
you can see the whole tour if you're on Twitter: LoveBooksGroup #SevenDeadlySwords #blogtour
you can see the whole tour if you're on Twitter: LoveBooksGroup #SevenDeadlySwords #blogtour
42psutto
January - 19 books read
9 of those were acquired in 2019 out of 17 books that were acquired
So first month is running to stand still - if I'd read all the books that came in I'd have reduced the TBR by 2
February - must do better!
9 of those were acquired in 2019 out of 17 books that were acquired
So first month is running to stand still - if I'd read all the books that came in I'd have reduced the TBR by 2
February - must do better!
44DeltaQueen50
Congrats on the new book, Pete. I picked up an e-copy today and look forward to reading it in the near future.
45rabbitprincess
Woo hoo, blog tour! :)
46psutto
>43 mstrust:
>44 DeltaQueen50:
>45 rabbitprincess:
Thanks!
I got a nice review over on Fantasy Faction :-) http://fantasy-faction.com/2019/seven-deadly-swords-by-peter-sutton
>44 DeltaQueen50:
>45 rabbitprincess:
Thanks!
I got a nice review over on Fantasy Faction :-) http://fantasy-faction.com/2019/seven-deadly-swords-by-peter-sutton
47AHS-Wolfy
>46 psutto: Good to hear that the positive reviews are continuing.
Your new book was showing in the unknown section for your name so sorted that for you and combined a couple of entries for another one.
Your new book was showing in the unknown section for your name so sorted that for you and combined a couple of entries for another one.
48psutto
>47 AHS-Wolfy: - you're a scholar and a gentleman!
49VivienneR
Congratulations on the book! I liked this quote from one reviewer who said: "From Sutton’s writing I would like to think he knows his way around a sword." Fitting.
50psutto
>49 VivienneR: - very flattering, since I've never handled a real sword more then to pick one up and go 'ooo that's heavy' ;-)
52psutto
Blackfish city a book group book - very mixed, feels like it never had a developmental edit as it was a bit all over the place!
Seems to be a trend at the moment - I felt the same after reading Becky Chambers and Charlie Jane Anders that these books are not 'cooked' properly, that the writers imagination has been allowed to splurge without some trimming and control of plot.
Seems to be a trend at the moment - I felt the same after reading Becky Chambers and Charlie Jane Anders that these books are not 'cooked' properly, that the writers imagination has been allowed to splurge without some trimming and control of plot.
53mathgirl40
Just catching up with your thread, and I'm happy to hear about your new book. Congratulations!
A friend at work has just recommended Blackfish City, so it's on my radar.
A friend at work has just recommended Blackfish City, so it's on my radar.
54psutto
I'm going to be interviewing a few authors at Cymera festival so have received a bunch of ARCs this month which is going to skew the stats a bit :-/
57psutto
Full disclosure - this is a review for a friend's book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragonfly-Jari-Moate/dp/1910089796/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?...
Dragonfly (no touchstone)
"My weapon is my story and I need to follow it"
There's a line in the book (describing a character) - "He resembles a fire started with petrol - fast burning, and who knows where it will go before it stops" and that sums up this book. If t were a drink it'd be a double espresso - maximum caffeine delivery.
Marine P has survived a sketchy situation in Syria and we follow him on a mission that takes him from a protest (sounding like the Occupy ones) to Bristol where he enters a chocolate factory, but this is no Willy Wonka trip. What follows is a full on express train of a story where P and a motley crew of secondary characters are stuck inside the factory looking for escape, through drugs, drink and the unfindable exit.
It reminded me most of Toby Litt's Hospital - the same thorough wringing out of theme and exploring every nook and cranny of it through a mestatsizing story. It has that central weird element, the building is a living beast that has swallowed, Jonah like, our heroes. It also has an essence of hauntology to it. It grips and runs and you must follow only to be discarded at the end, breathless, post-andrenalin shakes and exhaustedly exhilerated.
We are all PTSD survivors of a late capitalist, post war on terror, landscape, trapped in the defunct factory of industrialisation's ruin, searching for escape.
Recommended
Dragonfly (no touchstone)
"My weapon is my story and I need to follow it"
There's a line in the book (describing a character) - "He resembles a fire started with petrol - fast burning, and who knows where it will go before it stops" and that sums up this book. If t were a drink it'd be a double espresso - maximum caffeine delivery.
Marine P has survived a sketchy situation in Syria and we follow him on a mission that takes him from a protest (sounding like the Occupy ones) to Bristol where he enters a chocolate factory, but this is no Willy Wonka trip. What follows is a full on express train of a story where P and a motley crew of secondary characters are stuck inside the factory looking for escape, through drugs, drink and the unfindable exit.
It reminded me most of Toby Litt's Hospital - the same thorough wringing out of theme and exploring every nook and cranny of it through a mestatsizing story. It has that central weird element, the building is a living beast that has swallowed, Jonah like, our heroes. It also has an essence of hauntology to it. It grips and runs and you must follow only to be discarded at the end, breathless, post-andrenalin shakes and exhaustedly exhilerated.
We are all PTSD survivors of a late capitalist, post war on terror, landscape, trapped in the defunct factory of industrialisation's ruin, searching for escape.
Recommended
58psutto
wow I've only managed to read two books in May so far. Admittedly one was Thirteen which is over 600 pages - but even so!
59Tess_W
>58 psutto: Just enjoy, regardless of numbers!
60psutto
>59 Tess_W: of course - I was just surprised :-)
61psutto
If you do Facebook you can see my interview with Tade Thompson and Aliette de Bodard at Cymera festival here: https://www.facebook.com/cymerafest/?modal=admin_todo_tour
I also interviewed Richard k morgan which was interesting and cameron Johnson and Anna Stephens which was fun
I now have non-job related reading :-) So I'm moving onto reading Infinite Detail
I also interviewed Richard k morgan which was interesting and cameron Johnson and Anna Stephens which was fun
I now have non-job related reading :-) So I'm moving onto reading Infinite Detail
62psutto
Had the chance to visit Shakespeare & Co in Paris recently (so obviously I bought some books there) - I feel like I'm the last person in the world to discover John Cooper Clark and grabbed a copy of Ten years in an open necked shirt and also found a nice old Pan copy of Ring of bright water a book I remember making me cry as a child but I haven't read for at least 35 years.
As we're pretty much half way through the year (it being the longest day today) I thought I'd just check how I'm doing:
I've read 24 books from the TBR so I'm behind - supposed to be doing 5 per month (but havn't really been paying a whole lot of attention to making sure of that) - I feel the "professional" reading last month for Cymera festival where I interviewed 5 authors may have skewed the numbers
I have, to my shame, bought almost a hundred (94) books this year so far - oh how to resist the shiny allure of new books! No wonder my TBR only ever gets larger...
As we're pretty much half way through the year (it being the longest day today) I thought I'd just check how I'm doing:
I've read 24 books from the TBR so I'm behind - supposed to be doing 5 per month (but havn't really been paying a whole lot of attention to making sure of that) - I feel the "professional" reading last month for Cymera festival where I interviewed 5 authors may have skewed the numbers
I have, to my shame, bought almost a hundred (94) books this year so far - oh how to resist the shiny allure of new books! No wonder my TBR only ever gets larger...
63DeltaQueen50
Hi Pete, I only know John Cooper Clark from viewing some British Panel shows but I think he is fantastic so I am definitey taking a book bullet for Ten years in an open necked shirt.
64psutto
My book club chose A natural history of dragons which I would never have picked up - I found this a very strange read, I liked the hints of worldbuilding but intensely disliked the main character and wondered at the end what the point of the story was... it seems very popular though. Being both a science nerd and a fantasy reader you'd think this would be right up my street, it really isn't though...
65psutto
I've realised that in October I'll have been a member here for a decade. Where does time go? (it's generally lost inside good books) and the last book I published was the tenth.
In a break from the norm of buying books on my Thingversary I think I'll do a giveaway - so I'll give away 10 books (in e format) on Oct 12, 2019, 10 years to the day since I joined. If you'd like one of my books drop me a private comment with which book you'd like and an email address and the format you'd like (I may not have all formats on all books) and I'll send 10 people a book each - who doesn't like free books!?
So those books:
A Tiding of Magpies
Sick City Syndrome
Seven Deadly Swords
North by Southwest my writing group's first anthology - an eclectic mix
Dark Half of the Year
Infinite Dysmorphia
The Hotwells Horror & other stories (Mostly Horror)
Tales from the graveyard:
Former Heroes
Forever Hungry (Zombie tales)
You can see most of these books on my Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Sutton/e/B06XG1LYCN?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid...
In a break from the norm of buying books on my Thingversary I think I'll do a giveaway - so I'll give away 10 books (in e format) on Oct 12, 2019, 10 years to the day since I joined. If you'd like one of my books drop me a private comment with which book you'd like and an email address and the format you'd like (I may not have all formats on all books) and I'll send 10 people a book each - who doesn't like free books!?
So those books:
A Tiding of Magpies
Sick City Syndrome
Seven Deadly Swords
North by Southwest my writing group's first anthology - an eclectic mix
Dark Half of the Year
Infinite Dysmorphia
The Hotwells Horror & other stories (Mostly Horror)
Tales from the graveyard:
Former Heroes
Forever Hungry (Zombie tales)
You can see most of these books on my Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Sutton/e/B06XG1LYCN?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid...
66psutto
Read Kings of the wyld which was as much fun as everyone told me it was - also the key idea, that mercenary bands (like D&D adventuring groups) are exactly like old rock bands is so obvious it's amazing no-one else has ever done it!
I also note that like most years I seem to read a lot less in summer - almost as if cold, dark, wet months mean being inside more ;-)
I also note that like most years I seem to read a lot less in summer - almost as if cold, dark, wet months mean being inside more ;-)
68psutto
I'll be judging the British Fantasy Awards for Best Newcomer this year:
https://www.britishfantasysociety.org/news/british-fantasy-awards-2019/
https://www.britishfantasysociety.org/news/british-fantasy-awards-2019/
69christina_reads
>68 psutto: What a cool opportunity! I hope you'll share your thoughts on all the nominees, even if it's not till after a winner has been chosen.
70psutto
>69 christina_reads: - all the thoughts that are fit to print anyway ;-)
71psutto
Just back from a week in Scotland - read surprisingly little and didn't pick up as many books at the Edinburgh book festival as usual either...
I did get to meet Raja Shehadeh though which was cool
I did get to meet Raja Shehadeh though which was cool
73psutto
>72 mstrust: - I certainly did! :-)
74psutto
Traditionally I add a lot of books to my TBR in October - being that I go to FantasyCon, BristolCon and Bristol Festival of Literature - I've only read 35 books from my TBR so far this year (I'm currently reading number 36) so I'm quite far off my challenge of average of 5 per month... so I'd better just read TBR books for the rest of the year (yeah, right)
I've acquired 128 books:
7 presents
40 from second-hand shops
14 ARCs
5 from events
24 on Kindle
40 shiny and new grabbed while passing a bookshop
I've acquired 128 books:
7 presents
40 from second-hand shops
14 ARCs
5 from events
24 on Kindle
40 shiny and new grabbed while passing a bookshop
75Tess_W
>74 psutto: LOL looks like you better take detours around bookshops!
76psutto
>75 Tess_W: - I know, right!
77christina_reads
>74 psutto: I like your statistics! I keep track of how many books I acquire each month, but it would be nice to see where they all came from. Sometimes I think they spontaneously generate!
78psutto
>77 christina_reads: exactly what I thought last year - I know I'm bringing a lot of books in, where do they come from? So the 'where did I buy it' stat was born for this year :-)
79psutto
It's my Thingaversary this month - & 10 years of doing the category challenge :-)
I've been trying to work out a challenge for next year which is a milestone birthday for me and I may try and do a book published in each year I've been alive...
I've been trying to work out a challenge for next year which is a milestone birthday for me and I may try and do a book published in each year I've been alive...
80MissWatson
Happy thingaversary!
81psutto
>80 MissWatson: Thanks!
83Tess_W
>79 psutto: sounds like a great idea!
84Helenliz
>79 psutto: Happy Thingaversary. That could be a cool challenge, a book per year.
85psutto
Looks like I'm going to fail this challenge - I've read 36 off the TBR which is some way off the 60 I should have read...
and I've been adding books to the TBR at a rate of knots...
hmmm
and I've been adding books to the TBR at a rate of knots...
hmmm
86Tess_W
>85 psutto: Seems to be the way of LTers!
87mstrust
Happy Thingaversary, Pete! And yes, >85 psutto: is spoken like a true LTer!
90psutto
I have a milestone birthday in less than 3 months' time and I’ve been wondering what to do to mark it. And I’d like to ask for help from the community. I’d like to get to 50 reviews for Seven Deadly Swords on Amazon (there are 2 only currently).
If you have the skills and oomph to do that it only costs you a little time and effort and it’d be very appreciated!
If you have the skills and oomph to do that it only costs you a little time and effort and it’d be very appreciated!
91psutto
As ever October is litfest and convention month and the month I'm most likely to add a bunch of books to my TBR, and this year I've done the same... (see comment 11)
Next year it's Stokercon in the UK - the big horror convention from the HWA and it's in the UK for the first time - I suspect my TBR will take a hit that month!
Next year it's Stokercon in the UK - the big horror convention from the HWA and it's in the UK for the first time - I suspect my TBR will take a hit that month!
92psutto
About to head off for a couple of weeks R&R - so am hoping to read a few books whilst I'm away :-)
93MissWatson
Happy travels!
94psutto
am back. 1 more week in work then another 2 weeks off for the Xmas period.
Read a few books :-)
Read a few books :-)
95psutto
Hope everyone had a good Xmas & has a Happy New Year. Just dropping the last books of the year in here...
96psutto
So my goal was 5 books off the TBR per month - I totally failed to do it monthly, and it turns out failed to read 60 books off the TBF - in fact I only managed 43
So out of the 229 books I've tracked this year:
Read
Added to the TBR 73
Read 132 (149 last year) not including the DNF (see below)
I read 10 books I received as presents - and this year I asked people to not give me books (I got 3 for Xmas - but expect will get a few for my birthday beginning of January)
I read 15 ARCs (some review copies, some for events where I was interviewing authors, some for the award I judged)
I have 34 DNF this year. I had 7 last year. So I've obviously been a lot less patient this year! 30 of the DNF I bought this year too - but at least they didn't go onto the TBR I guess...
I had 2 "Brilliant" reads this year (absolute 5 stars) - there were 3 last year. The two are:
ghosts of my life
This is how you lose the time war
I read books from 19 different countries - but no surprise that UK & USA dominated
20 books bought or read by multiple authors
50 by women
159 by men
So I'm doing atrociously on gender balance
So my 2019 report is "must do better" - to find out if I do please head on over to the 2020 challenge!
So out of the 229 books I've tracked this year:
Read
Added to the TBR 73
Read 132 (149 last year) not including the DNF (see below)
I read 10 books I received as presents - and this year I asked people to not give me books (I got 3 for Xmas - but expect will get a few for my birthday beginning of January)
I read 15 ARCs (some review copies, some for events where I was interviewing authors, some for the award I judged)
I have 34 DNF this year. I had 7 last year. So I've obviously been a lot less patient this year! 30 of the DNF I bought this year too - but at least they didn't go onto the TBR I guess...
I had 2 "Brilliant" reads this year (absolute 5 stars) - there were 3 last year. The two are:
ghosts of my life
This is how you lose the time war
I read books from 19 different countries - but no surprise that UK & USA dominated
20 books bought or read by multiple authors
50 by women
159 by men
So I'm doing atrociously on gender balance
So my 2019 report is "must do better" - to find out if I do please head on over to the 2020 challenge!
97rabbitprincess
I'm really glad you liked This is How You Lose the Time War -- looking forward to reading it!
98psutto
>97 rabbitprincess: - I was very impressed with it :-)
99psutto
My TBR is 403 this year (336 last year so added almost 70!) - head on over to the 2020 group to see how I do in reducing my TBR...
100christina_reads
>99 psutto: I'm so glad I'm not the only one whose TBR is several hundred books! I'm at about 350 right now, I think.