For one reason or another (chiefly not being home at the weekends) I’ve not done one of these for a month now.  Consequently, the book haul looks rather horrendous, I know, and I’m going to have to put a stop to my acquisition habit this month.  This mammoth pile is the combined result of books requested on BookMooch and books from charity shops as usual, with a few thrown in here and there from ebay or Amazon marketplace.  This time around the biggest culprit was a charity shop I passed when I was out pottering during my lunch break which had a sign in the window bearing the fatal words “All books 50p”.  Now how was I supposed to resist that?  At least I can ease my book guilt by the knowledge that I’m not spending much money and other people are benefiting from my habit.

I think I’m just going to list these because there are too many of them for me to comment on them all and this would become an incredibly long post.  Now that I’ve caught up I’ll try not to leave it so long next time (oh, and to cut back on the books too, honest).

From BookMooch:

• Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
• The People of Lavender Court by Kathleen Dayus
• The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• 98 Reasons for Being by Clare Dudman
• The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
• The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy by Tim Burton
• The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Armin
• The Courage Consort by Michael Faber
• Gould’s Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan
• A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr
• The Outcast by Sadie Jones
• Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip
• Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
• Marie by Madeleine Bourdouxhe

From charity shops:

• Desdemona – If Only You Had Spoken by Christine Bruckner
• Novel on Yellow Paper by Stevie Smith
• Two for the Lions, Last Act in Palmyra and Dying Light in Corduba by Lindsey Davis
• Prodigal Summer and The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
• Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
• In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
• The World my Wilderness by Rose Macaulay
• Hours Before Dawn be Celia Fremlin
• Try Anything Twice and Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther
• The House in Dormer Forest by Mary Webb
• Diana of the Crossways by George Meredith
• The Turquoise and The Mistletoe and the Sword by Anya Seton
• Miss Mapp, Lucia’s Progress and Mapp and Lucia by E. F. Benson
• White Swan, Black Swan by Adrienne Sharp
• Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada
• The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
• Affinity by Sarah Waters
• The Eleventh Plague by Darren Craske
• Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• The Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
• Blood on the Dining Room Floor by Gertrude Stein
• The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
• Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary E. Braddon
• The Shutter of Snow by Emily Holmes Coleman
• The Golden Child, The Blue Flower and At Freddie’s by Penelope Fitzgerald
• The Wedding by Dorothy West
• The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged and The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
• Henrietta Brandon by Sonia Prentice Clary
• A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore
• The Shadows of Elisa Lynch by Sian Rees

From Amazon and Ebay:

• William: An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton
• The Warden by Anthony Trollope
• A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (both read now)

Received for review:

• Flowers for Alys by Irene M Redpath

So, in summary:

Books off the TBR pile in the past four weeks – 6

Books on the TBR pile this fortnight – 67 (shhh, don’t tell)

Change – +61

TBR pile stands at – 584 books (oh dear)

Once again, this is a fortnightly edition for me, thanks to a very busy weekend last week.  I have a feeling this is not going to be good news for the TBR pile, particularly as the cold weather has evidently triggered my winter hibernation mode, making me keep falling asleep on the train to and from work and hence nearly eliminating my reading time.  To add to that, my two current reads are both quite chunky and so my paltry reading efforts aren’t translating into removing books from the pile at the moment.

Hopefully in the coming week I’ll be able to make better progress.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

From BookMooch:

• Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides by Ariel Meadow Stallings – I love the Offbeat Bride website and was thrilled when I discovered there was a book too.  Looking forward to reading this one.
• Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire – This retelling of the Snow White story was included by a very kind moocher with another book as a lovely surprise.
• The Innocent Mage, The Awakened Mage and Empress all by Karen Miller – I had to pick up all three of these when I saw them in someone’s inventory.  I’m always on the look out for new fantasy writing and I’ve only heard good things about this writer.
• Her People: Memories of an Edwardian Childhood by Kathleen Dayus – Another interesting looking Virago Modern Classic to add to my little collection.
• The Great Stink by Clare Clark – I’m leaning towards Victorian novels at the moment, and this one was recommended to me as a good story about that era.
• Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins – A story about mythology and perfume owned by a janitor which is actually the essence of the universe.  How could I resist a book which sounds quite this bizarre?

Gifts:

• The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow of the Wind was one of my favourite books of this year, and my fellow long-suffering work friend passed this one on to me once she was finished with it.  I hope it’s as good as the first book.

Books for review:

• False Friends, Faux Amis by Ellie Malet Spradbury – I always enjoy books about eccentricities of language, so I have high hopes for this one.

Books bought brand new (yes, I actually purchased a new book from a real shop):

• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Julie Rose – When I found this is the tempting remainders bookshop opposite the British Library it seemed like fate.  Not only was it the only copy and a brand new hardback of the latest translation for only £2, I stumbled across it the day after going to see the fantastic 25th anniversary concert of the stage show of Les Mis at the O2.  I had to buy it.

So, in summary:

Books off the TBR pile this fortnight – 2 (oh, the shame)

Books on the TBR pile this fortnight – 11

Change – +9

TBR pile stands at – 523 books

This edition actually covers two weeks of book acquisition for me, as I was away last weekend and so didn’t get round to posting.  In spite of this, the damage to my struggling TBR pile is remarkably limited.  In fact, I’ve acquired an equal number or fewer books in the past fortnight than I have done in any previous week since I began this blog (admittedly, that’s not very many).  I’ve nearly managed to read enough books to reduce (if not neutralise) the incoming flow of books, so although Mount TBR is not actually reducing at the moment, at least it’s staying below the ever-looming 500 mark.

From BookMooch I received the following:

• Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis – the second book in an excellent Roman mystery series
• The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber – I’ve had this book recommended to me so many times (apparently I come across as the sort to enjoy books on Victorian prostitution) I was really pleased to get hold of a copy, and it’s a gorgeous hardback too
• Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews – This one didn’t stay on the shelf long, and has already been read and reviewed
• Foxfire by Anya Seton – One of the few books from this author that I don’t own, and in an edition which matches my others
• Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue – Another book I’ve been recommended, also about prostitutes
• The Equivoque Principle by Darren Craske – I’ve been enjoying some faux-Victorian mysteries recently and this one looked like it might be good fun
• Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust – It seemed like a good idea at the time

From a local charity shop:

• Death of a Dancer by Caro Peacock – Another faux-Victorian mystery novel

I was also sent a review copy of Oops!  Darrell Bain’s Latest Collection of Stories via Goodreads firstreads, which I requested as I enjoy short story collections and this looks to be an interesting selection from a new to me author.

So, in summary:

Books off the TBR pile this fortnight – 5 (plus one audiobook that I haven’t reviewed here)

Books on the TBR pile this fortnight – 9

Change – +3

TBR pile stands at – 495 books

This week was a little worse than last week in terms of book acquisition, and I’m feeling rather guilty.  All the other books are looking down at me from the shelves and judging me for not reading them.  The historical novels gaze disdainfully down their aristocratic spines at me; the gothic novels glare malevolently; the mysteries brood silently and worryingly; the books about other cultures sniff and mutter about racism; the Victorian novels gaze mournfully and wondering why I continue to buy books when I haven’t read them.  Do I not love them enough?

With this guilt generated from anthropomorphising my books in mind, I’m going to make a conscious effort to avoid acquiring any new books this week.  My TBR pile has reached ridiculous heights (I’ve promised myself I won’t let it hit 500) and I really don’t need any more books just now.  Sadly, with me and books it isn’t a question of needing but of wanting anyway, so we’ll see how my resolve holds out.  Wish me luck

This week I received from BookMooch:

• A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
• 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
• Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ancestors of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson
• The Wedding Day by Catherine Alliott
• Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller

And picked up from local charity shops:

• The Greenstone Grail by Amanda Hemingway
• Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
• Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley
• The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
• Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Luuurve is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison

So, in summary:

Books off the TBR pile this week – 3

Books on the TBR pile this week – 12

Change – +9

TBR pile stands at – 492 books

I continue to defy the book embargo, although not quite as spectacularly as last week as I have come home with a more moderate ten books this week.  I have switched my BookMooch mailing address from my home address to the office address in order to facilitate this.  My fiance sees this as a sign of addiction (something of which I am fully and happily aware) but I prefer to view this as effective problem solving.

This week I have one BookMooch book (first one the list) and the rest are from second hand book places.  I try not to visit them, but they call to me and I just can’t resist them.

• One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
• A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
• Without My Cloak by Kate O’Brien
• The Seance by John Harwood
• American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
• Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo by Julia Stuart
• For Love Alone by Christina Stead
• Coram Boy by Jamilla Gavin
• The Whitby Child by Robin Jarvis
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

So, in summary:

Books off the TBR pile this week – 2

Books on the TBR pile this week – 10

Change – +8

TBR pile stands at – 483 books

I’m afraid I don’t own a camera at the moment, although I will see about rectifying this in the future, so it’s just going to be one long big list from me this week.

• The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
• The Professor’s House by Willa Cather
• A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
• Ethan Frome and Other Stories by Edith Wharton
• The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
• A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
• Candide and Other Stories by Voltaire
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen
• Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• The Lord of Middle Air by Michael Scott Rohan
• The Ice King by Michael Scott Rohan and Allan Scott
• Animal Farm by George Orwell

I can’t wait to get stuck into this lot, although I’m going to try to give my older books a chance first.  I feel very guilty as they look down at me from the shelves, unread.

This means that, as of today, my TBR pile stands 475 books high.