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Reading report for November 2011

I had this ready at the start of the month but have only just realised that I never published it, so here goes:

I finished 9 books in November, of which 4 were TBR challenge books. I have now reached the TBR goal for this year: to get the TBR stack below 800 books by reading and/or culling. I took a long look at my bookshelves yesterday (make that December 5th) and made a drastic cull, bringing the TBR down to 791 books. I plan to continue with the challenge in 2012, and will probably begin with a goal of going below 750 TBR books.

This almost became the first month for a very long time in which I did not finish one mystery or thriller, but because the journey covered in The 8.55 to Baghdad was inspired by Agatha Christie and her journey on the Orient Express, I decided to reread Murder on the Orient Express. Knowing what the outcome of the mystery would be allowed me to concentrate on other things about it, and it struck me how brilliant Christie was at drawing, with a few deft strokes, a menagerie of diverse and interesting characters.

The Books:

  • A Season in the Highlands. 5 romance novellas, comprising: Jude Deveraux; Unfinished Business (contemporary, paranormal); Jill Barnett: Fall From Grace (historical); Geralyn Dawson: Cold Feet (historical, paranormal, Christmas); Pam Binder: The Matchmaker (time travel); Patricia Cabot: The Christmas Captive (historical, Christmas)
  • Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. Murder mystery. Reread.
  • Andrew Eames: The 8.55 to Baghdad. Travel.
  • Justine Hardy: Bollywood Boy. Travel, film.
  • Nora Roberts: The Bride Quartet, comprising: Vision in White; Bed of Roses; Savor the Moment; Happy Ever After.Contemporary romance.
  • Kevin Rushby: Children of Kali. Travel, history.

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