What's On Your Nightstand? (Oct. 28)

It has been about 6 months since I last participated in on of these, so some of the lists will be long.

Here are the books that I have read and reviewed since my last post:

• Labor Day by Joyce Maynard (Apr. 2014)
• The Reason that I Jump by Naoki Higashida; translated by K.A. Yoshida and David Mitchell (Apr. 2014)
• Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson (Apr. 2014)
• The Interestings  by Meg Wolitzer (Apr. 2014)
• Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (Apr. 2014)
• Shopping, Seduction, & Mr. Selfridge by Lindy Woodhead (Apr. 2014)
• The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle (Apr. 2014)
• The Orenda  by Joseph Boyden (July 2014)
• Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal (July 2014)
• HHhH by Laurent Binet (July 2014)
• Boxers by Gene Luen Yang (July 2014)
• Saints by Gene Luen Yang (July 2014)
• The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly  by Sun-mi Hwang (Aug. 2014)
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane  by Neil Gaiman (Aug. 2014)
• The Mysteries of Udolpho  by Ann Radcliffe (Aug. 2014)
• The Pursuit of Mary Bennet  by Pamela Mingle (Aug. 2014)
• Frog Music by Emma Donoghue (Aug. 2014)
• The Bear  by Claire Cameron (Aug. 2014)
• A Tale of Two Cities  by Charles Dickens (Aug. 2014)
• The Fault in Our Stars  by John Green (Aug. 2014)
• While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell (Aug. 2014)
• A Clash of Kings  by George R.R. Martin (Aug. 2014)
• The Enchanted  by Rene Denfeld (Aug. 2014)
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (Aug. 2014)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower  by Stephan Chbosky (Aug. 2014)
• The Remains of the Day  by Kazuo Ishiguro (Aug. 2014)
• His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal (Aug. 2014)
• The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simison (Aug. 2014)
• Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch (Aug. 2014)
• The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (Aug. 2014)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Aug. 2014)
• Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley (Aug. 2014)
• Levels of Life by Julian Barnes (Aug. 2014)
• Road Ends by Mary Lawson (Aug. 2014)
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Aug. 2014)
• Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr. (Sept. 2014)
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Sept. 2014)
• The Circle by Dave Eggars (Sept. 2014)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Oct. 2014)
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Richard Galbraith (Oct. 2014)
• The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon (Oct. 2014)
• Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood (Oct. 2014)

Here are the books that I will be working on this coming month:
• A Discovery of Witches
• A Sudden Light
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Howard's End
• The Woman in White
• Burial Rights
• Five Days at Memorial
• Lawrence in Arabia

What's On Your Nightstand? (Mar. 25)

It's been awhile since I did this, but I have read and reviewed a number of books since that last post.

Here are the books that I have read and reviewed since my last post:
• Longbourn by Jo Baker
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• Good Earth, The by Pearl S. Buck
• Call me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
• Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey by Emma Rowley
• I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon
• Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
• Dogs of Christmas, The by W. Bruce Cameron
• Winter of Red Snow, The by Kristina Gregory
• Christmas Carol, A by Charles Dickens
• Starry Night by Debbie Macomber
• Villette by Charlotte Brontë
• Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews
• Great Game, A by Stephen J. Harper
• How to be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman
• Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
• Luminaries, The by Eleanor Catton
• Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 
 (these are book reviews since November 2013)

Here are the books that I am working on this coming month:
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Interestings
• HHhh
• Princess Elizabeth's Spy
• The Mysteries of the Udolpho
• The Whole Golden World
• War & Peace
• The Woman in White
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Flight Behavior
• Moon over Manifest

Hope to see you in about a month's time :) 

What's On Your Nightstand? (October 22)

It's been a couple of months since I did this, but I have read and reviewed a number of books during that time.  I am sorry for getting this out late, but day just got away on me.

Here are the books that I have read and reviewed since my last post:
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
• The Life and Times of Call the Midwife by Heidi Thomas
• The Dinner by Herman Koch
• A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
• Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz
• Emma by Jane Austen
• Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
• Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
(remember these are two months worth of reviews)

Here are the books that I am working on this coming month:
• Longbourne
• Northanger Abbey
• The Good Earth
• War & Peace (year-long read)
• The Count of Monte Cristo

See you in about a month, hopefully.

What's On Your Nightstand? (August 27)

Its been two months since I last did this, but I have been reading quite a bit, even though I didn't get as much as I would have liked to get done during the summer months.

Here are the books that I completed and reviewed this past summer:
• Where'd You Go Bernadette
• The Chalice
• The Baker's Daughter
• The Buddha in the Attic
• Twelfth Night
• The Sandcastle Girls
• Mr. Churchill's Secretary

Here are the books that I have completed, but need to review (hopefully in the next day or two):
• The Paris Wife
• The Life and Times of Call the Midwife
• The Dinner
• A Game of Thrones
• Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child

Here are the books that I am working on this coming month:
• Emma
• Sense and Sensibility
• The Thorn Birds
• War & Peace
• Moby Dick
• Villette
• The Lady of the Rivers

With summer winding down and work starting up again next week (I work in an elementary school), I don't know how much time I will get to read, but with a sore ankle that doesn't really seem to be healing up, I probably will make more time to read.

What's On Your Nightstand (June 25)

Can hardly believe that June is almost gone and that the school year is nearly complete.  It only seemed like it was May yesterday and suddenly a Canada Day long weekend is upon those of us in Canada!  Yay!

It actually was a  quite productive month, even though it really didn't feel like it.  This past month, I posted reviews for The House Girl and The Whole Truth (books that I completed before May's post but didn't have reviews for at the time of last months post).

I also completed and reviewed The Gods of Heavenly Punishment and The Help.

I am still reading the classics that I mentioned last month and have started a bunch more books.  It doesn't look like I am going to finish Villette before the 1st, but then again I have a bunch more days to work on it before I have to get it completed for The Classic Club's spin project (you list a bunch of books you want to read, they pick a number, and you have to read the book that corresponds with that number).  I am also hoping to read Twelfth Night in a couple of weeks due to the fact I am seeing a production of the play early in July.

Happy reading :)

What's On Your Nightstand (May 28)

I suppose being about a day late with this is better than not doing it. So here I go.

Since I last posted about 2 months ago, I have finished Crime & Punishment, The Chaperone, and The Whole Truth, but have yet to write my review on The Whole Truth, in addition to one other book I finished recently.

I quit reading The Accursed because I just felt that it was getting too ridiculous and couldn't really make sense of what was going on.  Since I last posted for this meme, I finished some other books and actually really enjoyed them.

I am still reading War & Peace for a readalong and have started reading Villette and Moby Dick and am about to start Wives and Daughters.  I know that I am reading quite a bit of classic stuff, but am reading contemporary material as well and am hoping that the next few days that I will be able to get them started as well.

Till next month.

What's On Your Nightstand (Mar. 26)

I haven't done this since September mainly because I have forgotten about this, but I will try to get this up more often and therefore a bit more completed.

Up until yesterday, March isn't going great.  I got two books completed and can't really seem to finish anything that I have started.  But I am hoping that April will be a bit better, considering two of the books that I am currently reading are library books and not books that have long loans lengths on them and that I am planning on reading much more in the coming weeks.

At the moment I am reading Crime & Punishment and War & Peace for readalongs and have started reading The Accursed and The Chaperone, both of which are only two week loans.  I also have Moon over Manifest and The Whole Truth out that I hope to get completed in the coming weeks, both of which are early YA books and should be completed within a few days of reading them straight.

Here are the books that I have completed during this month:
1) The Giver by Lois Lowry (review)
2) Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson (review)

Here's hoping April is better.

What's on Your Nightstand? (Sept. 25)

Can't believe that the end of September is already here and that in about a week and a half, Canadians will be taking part in the annual gorge fest that is Thanksgiving (Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving the second Monday in October).

Anyways, its been a couple of months since I last posted here, but life got in the way last month and I didn't do it (I think I forgot).  At the moment I reading A Farewell to Arms for my book club and Wuthering Heights for a read-a-long, along with the usual books that I have been reading throughout the year.  I am going to have A Farewell to Arms done by Saturday, well at least I hope so.

Here are the books that I have completed since the end of July:
1) The Turning of Anne Merrick
2) The Rebel Wife
3) Canada at War
4) Henry V
5) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
6) Lady of Milkweed Manor
7) Fire
8) The Crown
9) A Race to Splendor

Talk to you in about 4 weeks!

What's On Your Nightstand (July 24)

Read a bunch of books this past month and am hoping that in the next month I can get a bunch more done and that I can get to my reading goal for this year in about 4 or 5 weeks (I have about 8 books left).

At the moment I am reading The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins and hope to get it done in the next few days and start something new and work on the ones that I am already working on.

Here are the books that I completed in the past few weeks:
1) The Concubine's Saga
2) A Dream to Call My Own
3) I Am Forbidden
4) I've Got Your Number
5) The Sister Queens : a novel
6) Graceling

Hopefully next month is just as productive, but I am not counting on it.

What's On Your Nightstand (June 26)

I am really tired at the time of writing this post that its going to be short and sweet.  Since I last posted in May, here are the books that I have completed:

1) Romeo & Juliet
2) Girls in White Dresses
3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
4) Waiting for Columbus
5) The Descendants
6) How to Eat a Cupcake
7) The Devil in the White City
8) Catching Fire

I know what you are thinking, I have done nothing but read. Well, that is true, but I have had time where I have read vast amounts, but then I have had days where I have basically read nothing and then go on reading sprees trying to finish books for various reasons. It feels like I have been a reading fog.

At the moment I am trying to finish The Concubine Saga for a book tour that I am posting on Friday and then hosting a giveaway for a couple of days.  If you are interested in what I have to say and in the giveaway, come back sometime on Friday and hopefully it will be posted by that afternoon.

See you in a month.

What's On Your Nightstand - May 22

Have no clue as to why this is going up when there is still one more Tuesday left in the month on May, but since I don't run the meme, I don't really have any say, now do I?  Anyways, since I haven't done this for a couple of months, I am going to be putting up those books that I have completed since the end of March.  It hasn't exactly been productive since then; haven't read much and therefore haven't completed much.  I haven't been able to read much for some reason; partly it had to do with the fact that my e-reader was on the fritz and partly it has to do with the fact that my life has been in upheveal and no routine has been exactly established since the end of March and also due to the fact that I have been watching videos for the past few months.  All basically to say that I haven't read much and completed much.

Reviews:
1. The Language of Flowers (review)
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles (review)
3. The Winter Palace (review)
4. The World of Downton Abbey (review)
5. The Dirty Cowboy (review)

I hope June is a better month.

What's on Your Nightstand - March 27

The last two weeks have been somewhat busy with family and such and as a result I haven't been able to get much reading done (I have been also catching up with my TV shows from the last few weeks as well).  I think I am also getting bogged down with my readalongs and not reading much of the stuff that I do want to read.  I suppose it doesn't help that my primary e-reader is unavailable at the moment (I have two devices, one that I got from my parents and the other I purchased) and therefore I haven't been reading much.  But things can change and its quite possible that in the next few days I will be reading on a regular basis again.  But considering the lackluster month, I did get a number of books done and I am hoping that a number of books will be completed in the coming week.

Reviews:
1.  Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (review)
2. The Great Gatsby (review)
3. Madame Tussuad (review)
4. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (review)
5. Sarah's Key (review)
6. Macbeth (review)
7. Death Comes to Pemberley (review)
8. The Hunger Games (review)

And considering everything, it was a pretty good month and I hope that next month is just as productive.

What's on Your Nightstand - February 28

Its been quite a month of reading.  I have finished a number of looong books, but some them in e-format, which has been a bit of a challenge due to the fact that my e-reader doesn't have e-ink available and therefore means I will likely have to get a second e-reader in order to read out in the sunshine, when summer comes in a few months, or at least when the warmer weather comes.

That aside, it was an amazing month for reading and despite the fact that I am getting a little tight on time for a couple of books, one will have to likely to wait until early March to finish/complete, I have read and reviewed a number of fascinating books, which the last two books that I completed in the last two days don't have a review, but will be posted alongside the March books.  I digress.

Reviews:
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. The Scarlet Letter
4. The Help
5. The Cat's Table
6. The Marriage Plot
7. The Gift
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
9. The Kitchen Counter School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices Into Fearless Home Cooks
10. 11/22/63
11. My Life in France
12. Anya's Ghost

Yes, that is correct I read and reviewed 12 books since the last What's on your Nightstand on January 24.  Part of the reason that I was able to read so much was because of a vacation, that I am currently finishing up and I didn't want to bring along all those books and also because I just spend a lot of time finding things to watch as I read, aka sports, as I found that if I watched my sports along with listening to a podcast or two or three, I could get big chunks of books done.  Also there was the time crunch and also I don't like bringing books back to the library unread.

On my nightstand:

• Anna Karenina
• Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mother
• Bleak House
• Les Miserables
• Macbeth
• Madame Tussaud
• Sarah's Key
• The Hound of the Baskervilles

What's on Your Nightstand - January 24

I got the last three Harry Potter books, but I have started the series all over again.  I haven't had a lot of time to read, but somehow I have managed to fit in quite a bit this month.  I also completed my first ebook and really liked the experience (got an e-reader for Christmas from my parents) and have started my second ebook from the library.  I will still do most of my reading with paper books, as I don't have the resources to get more e-books.

I have also started a bunch of my bigger books and quite honestly I am finding them to be quite readable and found myself reading out of them more often than not.  I got a Shakespeare play completed in an afternoon and while it wasn't my favourite one, I really enjoyed it, even though I have seen it performed on stage and on the screen.

Reviews:
1. Little House on the Prairie
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream
3. Mini-Shopaholic

On my nightstand:
The Gift 
What Alice Knew 
The Great Gatsby
The Help
The Scarlet Letter 
Anna Karenina *
Les Miserables *
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 
The Cat's Table 
Steve Jobs 
The Marriage Plot


* = month/year long reads

What's on Your Nightstand - December 27

Didn't get a lot done this past month; seemed that I just couldn't get myself to calm down enough to get a number of books completed and it seems that only in the last few days that I have gotten to the point that I can just sit down and read, who knows what will happen in the next few days.  I suppose it didn't help that I had some fairly easy books that I was able to complete during November and December I just seemed to be caught up with getting the Steve Jobs book, which I didn't, but I plan on reading and completing it in the New Year.

Reviews:
1. Lost December
2. The Quiet Little Woman
3. The Christmas Wedding

What I am currently reading:
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I am still on my Harry Potter kick and am hoping to finishing this book in the next few days

• The Gift - I am going to spend more time reading this book over the next few days in hopes that I can get it done and comment on it; seem to be just not reading it.

I have a few other books that I am reading at the moment, but I those are the two that I am going to be concentrating on.  See you next month.

What's on Your Nightstand - November 28

Much better month in terms of reading.  Seems that me reading a lot has to do with the frame of mind and not so much to do with the weather and also what I am reading.  I suppose it doesn't help that its the Christmas season and I tend to get tons of reading material at this time of year and hopefully I will read most of them.  But without further adieu, here is my list of reviewed books since my last post:

Reviews:

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Captivity
3. Frankenstein
4. Little House in the Big Woods
5. The Wild Rose
6. The Christmas Scrapbook
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

What I am currently reading:
• A Plain and fancy Christmas - Trying to get started on this book, but for some reason, I just can't.  Hopefully I can get around to reading it this week.

• What Alice Knew - Reading this for an online book discussion.  Sadly, I am really behind on this book and just need to sit down and read it.

• Steve Jobs - From the little I have read of the 600+ page book, it is a fairly easy read and quite fascinating.  Hopefully I can get around to it this week.

Sorry for the late post, but hopefully I will have the next post up on time.

What's on Your Nightstand - October 25

October was not a good month and based on what has happened today during the last 12 hours, it will probably end the same as it started.  But I did get a number of books done and reviewed.  I realize I haven't done this in some time, but here are the books for October.

Reviews:
1.  Moneyball
2.  Persuasion
3.  The Night Circus

I did finish Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but haven't posted my review of it yet.  And when I do, I will put up a link here, possibly later today.

What I am currently reading:
• Captivity - I have been reading this for the last couple of weeks trying to finish it and somehow I just can't, but am slowly getting myself closer to the end of the book.  Am hoping that this may be the week that I will.

• Frankenstein - Started this a number of weeks back, hoping to read it for a readathon, but didn't get around to it that weekend. Seeing as that I have a bunch of time this coming weekend, it looks like I will finally be able get around to this book.

What's on your Nightstand - June 2011

What's On Your Nightstand is hosted by 5 Minutes for Books.

This month I did manage to finish a few books, but in the same breath, I did start a few more books.

Here is what I did finish:
• Morning's Refrain
• The Book of Negroes
• The God who is There
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

And here is what I currently am reading

• House Arrest - recommendation from Books on the Nightstand, but I am having a little difficulty reading it.  I suppose its that I like one of the two main characters and I can't get enough of her and the author seems to like concentrate on the secondary characters more than the one character that I do like.  Its an interesting book and worth checking out.

• Twilight's Serenade - my light read this month.  I am finding the book to be rather poorly written and full of cliches more than anything and have considered putting the book down and returning it to the library.  In otherwords, I am not really enjoying the book, but am intent on finishing the book.

Due to my book club and other things that have come into my life and my lack of reading while at home, I have only really read these  two books this past month. I suppose reading fanfiction before I go to sleep hasn't helped either.  Hopefully it changes in July.

What's on Your Nightstand

Saw this come through my email this afternoon and I thought that I would give this a try.

I didn't finish anything this month, as I know that the Canucks playoff run has taken a huge portion of my time, but I have been reading off and on throughout the month.  I also know that it is due to the fact that I am reading multiple books at once, which I realize is a stupid habit, but I can do it, especially when the books are very different in their tone, etc.

So if you must know what is on my nightstand that I am reading, they are:
• Outlander - this book finally grabbed me at around the 250 page mark and the book just seems to be going by really quickly right now

• A Love to Last Forever - my easy read.  I realize that I have known disdain for Christian romance fiction, but it is so addicting that I can't help but read the genre.  Also Tracie Peterson is a pretty good writer and I have like some of her books in the past.

• War & Peace - my year-long read.  The book can be a little dull at times and I am going through that section right now.

• The Book of Negroes - If the title isn't familiar to you, you may have seen it with the title Someone Knows my Name, especially if you live in the US, NZ, and Australia (Canada and the UK have it published under the original title).  I have had this book for about 2 years and had yet to crack it open and once I get a stretch going in this book, I can get a huge chunk done.  While it may seem that its a quick and easy read, its actually more engrossing than anything and that's why I can read 30-40 pages at a time of this book.

As for what I am going to read this coming month, I really have no clue.  I probably will continue with the same books and probably start The Book Thief.