2018: November wrap-up

November wrap-up

It’s been now over a month that I have changed the theme of my blog and have chosen a static clean homepage. I really love it. I manually change the icons for last reviews, etc, so it’s a good incentive to have more things going on, review and meme wise.
And November has definitely been a busy month on the blog!
See for instance below under Blog Milestones and events.

Here is what I read in November:

8 books:
6 in print 
with 1,872 pages, an average of 62.4 pages/day
2 in audio
with 21H35, an average of 43 mn/day

2 in fiction:

  1. Love in lowercase, by Francesc Miralles
  2. Little Culinary Triumphs, by Pascale Pujol – ebook for review

2 in mystery:

  1. Ne lâche pas ma main, by Michel Bussi – audio
  2. Skeleton Key, by Anthony Horowitz

2 in historical fiction:

  1. The Clockmaker’s Daughter, by Kate Morton
  2. The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau – ebook for review

1 in Nonfiction:

  1. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

1 in science-fiction:

  1. Armada, by Ernest Cline – audio
    I already read this book in 2015. The note my the audiobook I just listened is at the end of my review, just before the “verdict”

MY FAVORITES IN NOVEMBER

The Blue ne lache pas ma main

READING CHALLENGES RECAP

Classics Club: 24/50 (until end of 2020) or 36/62!
The 2018 TBR Pile Challenge: 3/12, but none reviewed yet !!
Where Are You Reading?: 21/50 – to be finished in ??
Total of books read in 2018= 63/100
Number of books added to my TBR this past month= 33

MOST POPULAR BOOK REVIEW THIS PAST MONTH

Romanov Empress

click on the cover to access my review

MOST POPULAR POST THIS PAST MONTH
– NON BOOK REVIEW –

Born a Crime chapter 9-14:
read along at Book Bloggers International

BOOK BLOG THAT BROUGHT ME MOST TRAFFIC THIS PAST MONTH

Sophisticated Dorkiness
please go visit

TOP COMMENTERS OF THE MONTH

Judy at Keep the Wisdom
Karen at Booker Talk
Kristyn at Reading to Unwind

BLOG MILESTONES AND EVENTS

1,862 posts
over 4,590 subscribers
over 165,980 hits

Be sure to check the giveaways posted on my homepage!

November was busy with Nonfiction November
The Classics Spin #19 draw
I managed to do a video on a great French author of thrillers
I got my very first review posted on Criminal Element!
And regular participation in several memes, as you can see on my homepage. I have been enjoying more traffic and comments. It’s really fun to interact with all of you!

Plus, did you notice that ALL the book titles posted this month have already been reviewed? This is almost the first time ever, because I’m getting into the habit of posting short reviews when possible, finally!!

On the other hand, I gave up on weekly NaNoWriMo, where I was planning to list all the articles I translate everyday for Orthodoxie.com/en. I realized I was spending way too much time with those listings, so I only did it once. Maybe next year, I will write a real book??

PLANS FOR DECEMBER

  • Read the Classic I got with Classics Spin #19
  • Read the surprise book a staff of my library is picking for me – it’s the 2nd year they’ve been doing this winter challenge, I love it!
  • Start reading some 2019 releases
  • Post the couple of Reading Challenges I plan to do in 2019
  • Do more short reviews for books read this year
  • Post a couple more giveaways around Christmas

Come back on Monday
to see the books I plan to read in November!

Eiffel Tower OrangeEiffel Tower OrangeEiffel Tower Orange

How was YOUR month of November?

Month in Review

Kathryn at The Book Date
has created a Month In Review meme
where you can link your monthly recap posts
Thanks Kathryn, great idea!

Advertisement

Book review: The Romanov Empress

Romanov EmpressThe Romanov Empress
by  C. W. Gortner
Ballantine Books
7/10/2018

Genre: Historical Fiction
431 pages
Goodreads

***

When I hear about the House of Romanov, I automatically think of Tsar Alexander Nicholas II, his wife, and his children. So when I saw The Romanov Empress, the latest book by Gortner, an author whose writing I really appreciate (see for instance my review of Mademoiselle Chanel), I thought it was about one of the girls. So I was at first a bit disappointed to discover the empress in question is actually Maria Feodorovna, Nicholas’s mother. However, the quality if the book counterbalanced my disappointment.

Click to continue reading

Top 10 books to read in March 2018

Here are

The top 10 books I plan to read
in March!

Click on the covers to know more

CURRENTLY READING

    Modern Orthodox Thinkers   Couleurs de l'incendie

Modern Orthodox Thinkers
= awesome presentation of major modern Orthodox thinkers
Couleurs de l’incendie
= French historical novel, sequel to The Great Swindle
So far, not as good

   The Bridge on the Drina  Look for her

The Bridge on the Drina
= classic on my TBR
Look For Her
= thriller received for review

READING NEXT

I Let you go   Portrait of a Murderer

I Let You Go
= thriller lent by a friend
Portrait of a Murderer
= classic, received for review

Romanov Empress   Le voyage d'Octavio

The Romanov Empress
= there’s been recently a lot of novels on the Romanovs.
I can’t pass a novel by CW Gortner!

Le voyage d’Octavio
= French novel on my TBR

CURRENT AND NEXT AUDIOBOOKS

     Temps glaciaires I Always Loved You

Temps glaciaires
= the last book I had not read yet in this series by Fred Vargas!
I Always Loved You
= I have had this one on my TBR for ever,
and I realize the audio should be good,
on painters Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas

Eiffel Tower Orange

HAVE YOU READ
OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO READ
ANY OF THESE?
WHAT ARE YOUR READING PLANS FOR MARCH?

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