reading challenge – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com author | illustrator | digital designer Sun, 31 Dec 2017 17:46:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://shepline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cropped-shepline-white-on-green-square_512-32x32.jpg reading challenge – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com 32 32 Review of the book year: 2017 https://shepline.com/2017/12/31/review-of-the-book-year-2017/ https://shepline.com/2017/12/31/review-of-the-book-year-2017/#respond Sun, 31 Dec 2017 17:46:33 +0000 http://shepline.com/?p=16431 I pledged to read 45 books this year, and ended up reading 56 books (although Thomas rules dictate that if it’s got an ISBN number it goes on the list!). I also pledged to finish writing the Mr Tumnal sequel, The Imaginary Wife this year – with 2017 slipping past fast I think I can safely say I have missed this one.

2017 was the year that I read some of John Clare’s poetry, and discovered my new favourite bookshop (and the best bookshop in Oxfordshire by some mile) – Books and Ink in Banbury in case you were wondering. It has also been the year that I reaffirm my love of Edward Ardizzoni’s magical illustrations and decide to seriously start collecting them – well, you know, everyone needs a project! So in strict reading order, this year I have read.

  • Untold Stories by Alan Bennett
  • Winter Magic by Abi Elphinstone
  • White Mountain by Sophe E. Tallis
  • Winter by Melissa Harrison
  • Boom! by Mark Haddon
  • Chilled to the Bone by Quentin Bates
  • Dear Reflection by Jessica Bell
  • Strange Star by Emma Carroll
  • Selected Poetry of John Clare by John Clare
  • The Book by Jessica Bell
  • The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane
  • Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
  • Climate Change by Tony Juniper
  • Spring by Melissa Harrison
  • Silent Voices by Jo Allmond
  • The Fossil Hunters by Betty Salthouse
  • Bagthorpes Unlimited by Helen Cresswell
  • Best Murder in Show by Debbie Young
  • Bodleian Library Souvenir Guide by Geoffrey Tyack
  • The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
  • Felbrigg Hall, Gardens and Estate by Oliver Garnett
  • Coot Club by Arthur Ransome
  • The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
  • Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
  • Keeping On Keeping On by Alan Bennett
  • Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
  • The Gifts of Reading by Robert Macfarlane
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
  • The Forever Ship by Francesca Haig
  • Imaginary Friends by Philip Pullman
  • Nibble Moves House by Jane Pilgrim
  • Poor Mr. Nibble by Jane Pilgrim
  • Hannibal And The Pet Show by Ladybird Books
  • Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
  • The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
  • The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
  • The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter
  • The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
  • Friend Request by Laura Marshall
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
  • The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
  • Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman
  • War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
  • The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter
  • La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
  • M. Barrie’s Peter Pan by Eleanor Graham
  • Close Encounters of the Furred Kind by Tom Cox
  • The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
  • The Church Mice at Christmas by Graham Oakley
  • The Little Train by Graham Greene
  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  • The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane
  • One Christmas Wish by Katherine Rundell
  • Santa Claude by Alex T. Smith
  • What To Look For In Autumn by E.L. Grant Watson
  • What To Look For In Summer by E.L. Grant Watson

Stand out books to recommend this year? Most anticipated book goes to La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust, Vol. 1). Jessica Bell gets a mention for best autobiography for Dear Reflection (think Maya Angelou with more rock and roll) and best short story for the often overlooked, The Book. Abi Elphinstone’s curated collection of short stories, Winter Magic, was one of the first books I read this year and remains a favourite – with a special nod to Michelle Harrison’s standout short story. From the Indie side of the pool, take a look at Debbie Young’s Best Murder in Show, or Sophie E. Tallis’ White Mountain. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce is a must read of sheer delight, and Laura Marshall’s Friend Request comes with a recommendation of the disturbing nature (but read it anyway).

]]> https://shepline.com/2017/12/31/review-of-the-book-year-2017/feed/ 0 Review of the book year: 2016 https://shepline.com/2016/12/31/review-of-the-book-year-2016/ https://shepline.com/2016/12/31/review-of-the-book-year-2016/#respond Sat, 31 Dec 2016 16:18:18 +0000 http://shepline.com/?p=9788 Only 42 books read this year, but one of those was the clasic of all clasics that is War & Peace, so I reckon that has got to equal about 6 regular books! I’ve also been fitting in more writing, not counting the training that I undertook for the 26 mile Stonehenge Trek back in September which pushed alot of things into the sidelines.

  • The Shark and the Albatross by John Aitchison
  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
  • Song in the Silence by Elizabeth Kerner
  • The Dreamsnatcher by Abi Elphinstone
  • The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child
  • My Pen by Christopher Myers
  • An English Country House and Garden by Arthur J. Penn
  • War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • My Second Life by Faye Bird
  • Shepard’s War by James Campbell
  • When the Floods Came by Clare Morrall
  • Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
  • Jess the Goth Fairy by Jess Hiles
  • Shtum by Jem Lester
  • Hidcote by Helene Gammack
  • The Spider in the Corner of the Room by Nikki Owen
  • Day of the Vikings by J.F. Penn
  • Family, Friendships, Landscapes by Hugh Cecil
  • Fingers in the Sparkle Jar by Chris Packham
  • The Killing Files by Nikki Owen
  • The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
  • The Pier Falls & Other Stories by Mark Haddon
  • Rain by Melissa Harrison
  • The Other Alice by Michelle Harrison
  • Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff
  • Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
  • Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
  • Broughton Castle by Paul Barker
  • In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll
  • The Map of Bones by Francesca Haig
  • Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome
  • Autumn by Melissa Harrison
  • Meadowland by John Lewis-Stempel
  • The Trees by Ali Shaw
  • Under the Paw by Tom Cox
  • The Plumdog Path to Perfection by Emma Chichester Clark
  • Talk to the Tail by Tom Cox
  • Asterix and the Missing Scroll by Jean-Yves Ferri
  • The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
  • What To Look For In Winter by E.L. Grant Watson
  • The Good, the Bad and the Furry by Tom Cox
  • How it Works: The Grandparent by Jason Hazeley

Books to recommend from this year? It’s a varied list but for all kinds of different reasons The Other Alice, Fingers In The Sparkle Jar, The Map of Bones, My Second Life, and Under The Paw. I also found time to re-read some childhood favourites, and for that reason I give you Swallows and Amazons.

]]> https://shepline.com/2016/12/31/review-of-the-book-year-2016/feed/ 0 On the closing day of 2015: review of the year https://shepline.com/2015/12/31/on-the-closing-day-of-2015-review-of-the-year/ https://shepline.com/2015/12/31/on-the-closing-day-of-2015-review-of-the-year/#respond Thu, 31 Dec 2015 20:31:28 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=6744 This was my second full year of getting the bus to work and reading lots, and lots – another 45 books in all. That said, I also did a 100-day walking challenge with work during the summer which shortened my bus journies somewhat. I also read some big books this year. It was the year I finally read Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell and kind of wished I hadn’t. It was also the year that I finally got hooked on Game of Thrones, although the book, whilst good, was a bit of struggle and left me feeling a bit meh. I also caught up with The Hunger Games, and found it to be a good, well-written book (if disturbing) and not just another Twighlight.

Books to recommend from this year? The Miniaturist, The Fire Sermon, The Gracekeepers, The Lie Tree, and Slade House. From the Indie Camp, give The Boy in Winter’s Grasp, and May Queen Killers a go. And when its finished and published, get yourself a copy of Alice Nuttall’s Sigyn.

Here’s to another year of reading in 2016, and I leave you with my Christmas book-haul from this year.

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]]> https://shepline.com/2015/12/31/on-the-closing-day-of-2015-review-of-the-year/feed/ 0 On the sixth day of Christmas: review of the year https://shepline.com/2014/12/31/on-the-sixth-day-of-christmas-review-of-the-year-2/ https://shepline.com/2014/12/31/on-the-sixth-day-of-christmas-review-of-the-year-2/#respond Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:24:34 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=6459 By the end of 2013 had smashed my personal reading challenge of 20 books by a whopping 195%, and so I vowed in the next year to read as many as that again. In terms of challenges though I erred on the side of caution and set my target at 30 thinking that was definitely achievable. It turns out that was most-definitely achievable thanks in large part to the hours of extra reading time afforded to me by the bus. By the end of this year I have read 153% more books than I intended to, at a grand total of 46! This pleases me, alot.

  • The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw
  • The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
  • How It All Began by Penelope Lively
  • A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Stella by Helen Eve
  • The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Asterix and the Picts by Jean-Yves Ferri
  • The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Strandline by Tamsin Showbrook
  • Related by Adoption by Hedi Argent
  • The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Viking! by Kevin Crossley-Holland
  • Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke
  • The River at Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
  • The Crowfield Demon by Pat Walsh
  • Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story by Michael Rosen
  • One Wish by Michelle Harrison
  • The Vanity of Small Differences by Grayson Perry
  • Frozen Out by Quentin Bates
  • Tales of the Norse Gods by Barbara Leonie Picard
  • Greys Court Oxfordshire (Trust, National)
  • Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer
  • The Voice That Thunders by Alan Garner
  • Elizabeth is Missing by Healey
  • The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris
  • Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
  • The Woodcutter by Kate Danley
  • Wild Horses: a Spider Circus Story by Alice Nuttall
  • All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes by Maya Angelou
  • Cold Comfort by Quentin Bates
  • The Aldeburgh Scallop by Maggi Hambling
  • Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  • How Novels Work by John Mullan
  • The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
  • 26 Characters: celebrating childhood story heroes by Cambridge Jones
  • Alexandra Fry, Private Eye: Tutankhamun’s Gift by Angella Graff
  • Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
  • Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
  • Strandline /C by Tamsin Showbrook
  • The Night Before Christmas by Clement C.Moore
  • The Church Mice at Christmas by Graham Oakley
  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
  • The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
  • Benjy and the Barking Bird by Margaret Bloy Graham

Okay, there are some short children’s books in there, but there are also some that are normally outside of my comfort zone, and a pleasing amount of non-fiction too which is good.

Stand out book’s of the years? Emma Healey’s stunning debut, Elizabeth Is Missing, is one for everybody’s To Read Pile. I would also thoroughly recommend Katherine Rundell’s Rooftoppers and the, if disturbing, brilliant Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge (I’ve just started reading another of her books now). Of one’s to avoid, only one spring’s to mind: and that is Kate Danley’s The Woodcutter – proof-being if proof were needed that it is possible to love fairytales too much.

Next year I’m very much looking forward to getting my nose stuck into John Scotcher’s (second) debut novel, The Boy In Winter’s Grasp that sadly came out too late in the year to be finished in time for this year’s reading list.

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