November was a less than average reading month for me: I finished 8 9 books. (Tsk! I forgot one).
Of those, 5 were rereads and 3 were TBR.
Unusually, this was not due to one of my fits of depression (reading little and rereading are two of the danger signs), but simply because I have had other things to do. I have been using some of the time I usually spend reading to draw/doodle instead, something I love doing but I haven't had much energy to do for a long time. One of the things I did was to hand-draw all my Christmas cards. I also made a number of paper ornaments, most which can be hung anywhere at any time of year, but of course they also look nice on the Christmas tree.
Any time I do less than my usual amount of reading for a while, I begin to feel the difference in my body by the second week or so, especially my neck and shoulders. Having myalgia means I need to take good care of myself and reading unfortunately puts a strain on my muscles. But if I had to choose between being perfectly free of myalgia and not reading, or having myalgia and continuing to read, I would still choose reading and the stiffness and sore muscles it entails, because I can't imagine not having the joy of books in my life.
The stand-out was undoubtedly L'étranger by Albert Camus, not only because it is good literature but also because it is the first unabridged, unsimplified novel I finish reading in French. Reading it and then discussing it (in French) helped me get a better feeling for the French language than any book meant for teaching possibly could.
But on to the books:
Of those, 5 were rereads and 3 were TBR.
Unusually, this was not due to one of my fits of depression (reading little and rereading are two of the danger signs), but simply because I have had other things to do. I have been using some of the time I usually spend reading to draw/doodle instead, something I love doing but I haven't had much energy to do for a long time. One of the things I did was to hand-draw all my Christmas cards. I also made a number of paper ornaments, most which can be hung anywhere at any time of year, but of course they also look nice on the Christmas tree.
Any time I do less than my usual amount of reading for a while, I begin to feel the difference in my body by the second week or so, especially my neck and shoulders. Having myalgia means I need to take good care of myself and reading unfortunately puts a strain on my muscles. But if I had to choose between being perfectly free of myalgia and not reading, or having myalgia and continuing to read, I would still choose reading and the stiffness and sore muscles it entails, because I can't imagine not having the joy of books in my life.
The stand-out was undoubtedly L'étranger by Albert Camus, not only because it is good literature but also because it is the first unabridged, unsimplified novel I finish reading in French. Reading it and then discussing it (in French) helped me get a better feeling for the French language than any book meant for teaching possibly could.
But on to the books:
- Mary Balogh, Sandra Heath, Edith Layton, Barbara Metzger, Patricia Rice: A Regency Christmas Feast. Historical romance novellas. Reread.
- Albert Camus: L'étranger. Novel.
- Martha Grimes : Help the Poor Struggler. Murder mystery. TBR read.
- Georgette Heyer : The Masqueraders. Historical romance. Reread.
- Georgette Heyer : Powder and Patch. Historical romance. Reread.
- Georgette Heyer : Cotillion. Historical romance. Reread.
- Terry Pratchett : Night Watch. Fantasy. Reread.
- Helen Scales : Poseidon's Steed: The Story of Seahorses. Natural history. TBR read.
- Marilyn Wann : Fat!So!. Self-help. TBR read.
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