Reading around Britain and Ireland.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review)]

A Morbid Taste for Bones was set in Wales (apart from the start and the end)

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I've just read Daughter of Time

Now I have to decide which Welsh county to mark off on my challenge. It is a time travel story, and after the first few chapters set in the present, the story begins at Criccieth Castle in Caernarvonshire, moves to Merionethshire and finally to Brecon Castle, Brecknockshire.

The next one crossed off will definitely be Wales - I found two books already on my kindle from a couple of years ago, one set in Pembrokeshire and one on Anglesey.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

If I add N Ireland then the total number of books to complete the challenge would be 100

Progress so far

England. 17/42

Wales 2/13

Scotland. 5/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 2/12

Overall Progress 26/100

[Abigail]

A quarter of the way there already—well done!

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I made the decision to count Daughter of Time as Merioneth, as the next book that I have added for this challenge Brass in Pocket is set mainly in Caernarvonshire - although they do cross the border into Denbighshire and Flint as well as visiting Anglesey. As I'm reading further books in the series I may be able to cross off more counties. I'm hoping to pick up more books in the series that follow Daughter in Time - Footsteps in Time is the next one. Plus there is a connected series to Brass in Pocket that is set around Cardiff.
I also have a book set in Shropshire to read so I have plenty to keep me going at the moment. Plus I am still working my way through Five Red Herrings in paperback.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Progress so far

England. 17/42

Wales 5/13

Scotland. 5/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 2/12

Overall Progress 29/100

[Judy]

Wow, you are getting through this challenge at an incredible pace, Jay-me! Which are your favourites out of those you have read so far?

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Judy wrote: "Wow, you are getting through this challenge at an incredible pace, Jay-me! Which are your favourites out of those you have read so far?"

I enjoyed the Hamish Macbeth books - I much prefer him to Agatha Raisin. The John Budebooks were good, I prefer those to the one by Freeman Wills Crofts.
I think that so far the favourites are
Dreaming in Norwegian and The Frozen Lake
I was a bit disappointed with the endings of A Cottage by the Sea and The Splintered Circle

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I've been searching to find possible books for my challenge and turned up some more that were already on my kindle.
One of the Agatha Raisin books is set in Norfolk, but it is book 10 and I've read up to book 4. So it would mean reading a chunk of that series, and I'm not sure I could do that I would rather space them out. I usually like to work my way through a series quite quickly, but I wasn't as keen on Agatha.
I'm looking at aGeorge Gently book at the moment which would be a better choice for Norfolk - but I can't find anywhere that it is definitely set there.

There is a lot of choice for some counties, but if I already had the book on my kindle then the choice is easier.

[Judy]

Jay-me (Janet) wrote:
I think that so far the favourites are
Dreaming in Norwegian and The Frozen Lake"

They both sound very interesting - the combination of Norway and the Shetlands appeals to me, and I've been meaning to try Elizabeth Edmondson. Some great selections here!

[Miss M]

Jay-me, you may have already seen but there's a Norfolk listopia:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

I thiught Death and the Pregnant Virgin was pretty good.

[Susan]

The Norfolk Mystery is, I think, the first in a series of mysteries set in different counties, which could be useful for you?

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Finally finished my read of Five Red Herrings.
I know it has taken me a while but it is a paper back copy and I reserve those for bath-time reading.
When Wimsey is recreating the murder, he suggest readings some books - one of them was The Eye of Osiris which I downloaded to my kindle a couple of days ago.

I have not been reading as much this week - apart from being well on the way to having the kitchen finished, my mum has not been well and I have taking over the dog walking duties. I started a George Gently book, but haven't really got into it at all. I had read the first few, but am not enjoying this one at all. I was reading it as set in Norfolk - but I'm not even convinced that it is. I may leave this one and go onto something a bit lighter.
I've also been struggling with a cold this week. At the beginning of the week I had a blocked nose, but for most of the week I have had a cough. I've had to miss my gym classes this week.

I looked at The Norfolk Mystery but the next two counties in the series are ones that I have already ticked off.
I have quite a long list to choose from still - at the moment the hardest thing is choosing which one to read next.

[Judy]

Jay-me, I also find it takes me longer to get through paperbacks these days, as it's easier to carry the Kindle around with me! Sounds as if you have had a busy time as well as having a cold - hope you feel better soon!

[Susan]

Sometimes I force myself to take a paperback on the train instead of my kindle. That is always the day the lights go out and I'm stuck in a tunnel....

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I have added another couple of books read earlier this year so it does look as though I am galloping through the challenge. I still have a selection already on my kindle that will be read for the challenge.

I am leaving the progress update until I finish the current book as that will fill in a nice chunk of the map on my blog.

I have been reading my (very tattered) paperback copy of Sprig Muslin for the book of the month for the Georgette Heyer group. Now I'm trying to decide if I can fit it into this challenge. All the towns and villages mentioned actually exist and I spent some time yesterday looking at maps and wikipedia finding out more. The story starts briefly in London, then various places in Cambridgeshire, a quick visit to Huntingdonshire and the final chapters are in Bedfordshire. Since I have already ticked London and Cambridgeshire the county that I would choose would be Bedfordshire, it is just that only part of the book is actually in that county

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Progress so far

England. 22/42

Wales 5/13

Scotland. 7/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 2/12

Overall Progress 36/100

[Abigail]

More than a third of the way there already—congratulations! I see Wales is starting to catch up. I love reading books set in Wales, so if you could mention any you particularly enjoyed, I’d love to hear about it.

As for Sprig Muslin, I just reread it too and I’d have to say that it seems more appropriate for Cambridgeshire than for either London or Bedfordshire (sorry to say!).

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Update to the end of the year

I've not read a lot for the challenge recently, getting on with kitchen work, getting ready for Christmas and visiting family.

I am reading one that is set in Warwickshire at the moment.


England. 25/42

Wales 5/13

Scotland. 8/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 3/12

Overall Progress 41/100

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Have just finished which is set mainly in Hertfordshire.


So the progress so far is

England. 27/42

Wales 6/13

Scotland. 8/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 3/12

Overall Progress 44/100

[Susan]

Nearly half way already :)

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Progress so far

England 30/42

Wales. 6/13

Scotland. 9/33

N.Ireland. 0/6

IOM & Channel Islands 3/6

Total 48/100

I have several books on my possible lists. I started one set in Worcestershire, but abandoned it after just a couple of chapters. I will look for a different book for that county. Amongst my lists of books set in Scotland are some of the Dandy Gilver series

[Susan]

Nearly half way there, Jay-me - well done :)

[Judy]

You're doing brilliantly Jay-me! Any good finds recently?

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I've not been reading much for this challenge recently - partly as a break, but also partly because the Goodreads Challenge feature was broken and not showing the correct numbers of books - so it seemed a bit pointless trying to add more books when I wasn't sure it would update correctly.

I have been searching out more books and have a few on my kindle ready for when I'm in the mood to read them. I've also bought a few Dandy Gilver books by Catriona McPherson as they were reduced in price - these are set around various parts of Scotland and will tick off a few more counties for me. I also have two or three on my wishlist that will cover N. Ireland.

Something else I have been doing is reading books and then thinking that they would have done for a county that I have already marked off as complete - so what I am going to do is add those books on my challenge list (I set up a new private group just for myself to track the books read for each county )

There are a couple of "multi-centre" books that I want to think about adding, but I need to work out which county is the major part of the book. For example One Perfect Summer starts and ends in Dorset (which I need to tick off) but a large part of the middle of the book is in Cambridge (which I have already added)

Of course there are the hard to find places as well. But if everything was easy it wouldn't be as much fun.

[Annabel]

I absolutely love the Dandy Gilver books. They are funny and clever, although they can get a bit dark at times. Probably best to read them in order if you can - if you don't want to, I can tell you which I think are the best ones. (Some of them get a bit over-complicated in my view.)

[Annabel]

Sorry now realised you need to read the ones in the right counties! So I won't interfere...

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Annabel wrote: "Sorry now realised you need to read the ones in the right counties! So I won't interfere..."

I was planning on reading them all in order anyway - I read the first two back in 2014 and I think I now have the next two in the series, plus all but two of the later ones.

[Judy]

Jay-me, can I ask what books are you reading for Northern Ireland, as I also need a book from there for my challenge?

I only read one of the Dandy Gilver books, which wasn't the first one, and I couldn't really understand who everyone was, so I definitely think I would have done better to start with the first one!

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Judy wrote: "Jay-me, can I ask what books are you reading for Northern Ireland, as I also need a book from there for my challenge?

I only read one of the Dandy Gilver books, which wasn't the first one, and I ..."

I have a couple of books by Christina McKenna as possible reads.
I used the lists on https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... to find books.

[Judy]

Thanks Jay-me! I use that site too but didn't realise they had such a big section on Northern Ireland. I will take a look at Christina McKenna.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

End of July 2017 Progress so far

England 31/42

Wales. 6/13

Scotland. 12/33

N.Ireland. 0/6

IOM & Channel Islands 3/6

Total 52/100

I need to make a dent in N. Ireland and read some more Dandy Gilver for parts of Scotland. Plus I have a few ready for some of the missing parts of England

[Sandy]

You know about Dandy Gilver already, but I just finished The Burry Man's Day and it is set in Queensferry if that helps your 'travels'.

[Judy]

You're doing really well, Jay-me - more than halfway there. I've recently had a couple of false starts on my challenge, where I've started a book but decided it was too dreadful to finish even if it would tick off a box! Has this happened to you at all?

[Sandy]

Judy wrote: "You're doing really well, Jay-me - more than halfway there. I've recently had a couple of false starts on my challenge, where I've started a book but decided it was too dreadful to finish even if i..."

It has happened to me in a Monopoly challenge and I don't feel a bit guilty. It's a personal challenge, no one else loses, and I don't have to read something I don't want to! After all the real point is enjoyment.

[Judy]

Sandy wrote: "It has happened to me in a Monopoly challenge and I don't feel a bit guilty..."

I agree, Sandy, I don't feel guilty either! (Well, maybe just a bit if I have bought the book and didn't finish it... but even then it isn't worth ploughing on regardless.) What was the Monopoly challenge?

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Judy wrote: "You're doing really well, Jay-me - more than halfway there. I've recently had a couple of false starts on my challenge, where I've started a book but decided it was too dreadful to finish even if i..."



Yes I started a book that was based in Worcestershire and it was not to my taste at all. Given that I will read almost any genre (the big exceptions being horror and poetry) this is surprising. But I think it was supposed to be funny - and that I think was the problem because I just found it tedious. Fortunately I hadn't bought it - just borrowed through kindle unlimited.

[Sandy]

Judy wrote: "Sandy wrote: "It has happened to me in a Monopoly challenge and I don't feel a bit guilty..."

I agree, Sandy, I don't feel guilty either! (Well, maybe just a bit if I have bought the book and didn..."

The monopoly challenge is for another GR group: Historical Mystery Lovers. The moderator has spent a lot of time setting it up. You roll a die, move around the 'board' and for each spot choose a book meeting the criteria. Some examples: set in the 16th century, in a country bordering the Pacific, occupation of the protagonist, color of cover. It worth going to the group just to read the categories; there are usually two choices for each square. The book I gave up on was with a GR rating under 3.5.

Jay-Me, apologies for hi-jacking your discussion.

[Judy]

Jay-me (Janet) wrote: "Yes I started a book that was based in Worcestershire and it was not to my taste at all. Given that I will read almost any genre (the big exceptions being horror and poetry) this is surprising. But I think it was supposed to be funny."

Glad to hear it was only one book this happened with, Jay-me. I've enjoyed discovering a lot of new authors through my challenge, but I suppose there are bound to be one or two who just don't appeal.

[Judy]

Sandy wrote: "The monopoly challenge is for another GR group: Historical Mystery Lovers."

Thanks for the info, Sandy - it sounds like a very different challenge. I have a long way to go with my own challenge at the moment (and am tempted to copy Jay-me's challenge afterwards!) but will give this one a look.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

17 March 2018 Progress so far

England. 34/42

Wales 6/13

Scotland. 21/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 3/12

Overall Progress 64/100

[Judy]

That's brilliant, Jay-me - any good books you have discovered via this challenge recently?

[Jay-me (Janet)]

3 September 2018 Progress so far


England. 38/42

Wales 6/13

Scotland. 21/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 4/12

Overall Progress 69/100

Reading for this challenge has been a little slower recently - I've still not started any books set in N.Ireland, but I have a few ready to start.

I've ticked a few more counties in England, and have books ready for another two. I'm left with two that I still need to decide on. There seem to be plenty of books set in Berkshire that I could choose from but the final county is Huntingdonshire, and I'm struggling to find any from there.

I have some more to choose from for Scotland and Wales so will see which counties are left.

I can see that this challenge will be continuing for quite a while.

[Jill]

You have done extremely well so far! Well over half way.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Counties left - with books I already have copies of ready to read.
Some of the others I have an idea of what I intend reading - for example I have some by Christina McKenna on my wishlist for some N Ireland counties.

Suggestions for any of the remaining welcomed. No poetry or horror please.


Berkshire The Big Over Easy

Herefordshire The Lamp of the Wicked

Huntingdonshire The Children of Green Knowe

Staffordshire Taunting the Dead

Carmarthenshire The Dancing Lights

Denbighshire

Flintshire

GlamorganHidden Chapters: A powerful novel exploring motherhood, adoption, and family secrets

Monmouthshire The Angel Tree

Montgomeryshire

Radnorshire On The Black Hill

Angus/Forfarshire Death at Glamis Castle

Argyllshire

Caithness

Clackmannanshire

Dunbartonshire The Eagle of the Ninth

East Lothian/Haddingtonshire

Kinross-shire

Kincardineshire

Nairnshire

Peebles-shire

Selkirkshire

Stirlingshire Murder At Scottish Mensa

Antrim

Armagh

Down The Tea House on Mulberry Street

Fermanagh

Londonderry

Tyrone

Alderney

Sark

[Louise]

Mr Pye by Mervyn Peake is set on Sark. The Sirens Sang of Murder by Sarah Caudwell.is set partly on Sark.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I've still not finished but as I have read a few books that are set in the Republic of Ireland over the last couple of years I have added those counties to this challenge. I will go through the list and add the books later.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Progress to 11 December 2018



England. 39/42

Wales. 8/13

Scotland. 24/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 5/12

Overall Progress 76/100

Plus

Ireland 5/26

[Jay-me (Janet)]

At the end of 2018


England. 40/42

Wales. 8/13

Scotland. 24/33

N. Ireland, IOM & Channel Islands. 5/12

Overall Progress 77/100


Plus

Ireland 5/26

Yesterday I read If You Could See Me Now which adds County Kerry.

[Emma]

Nicholas Blake's 'The Private Wound' is set in either Galway or Clare, if that helps.