Pam's 2018 Reading Self Challenge

[Pam]

After "only" reading 115 books last year and failing to make the 150 target, I've scaled back this year to 100 books only. Let's see how this one goes.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Am sure you will hit it Pam. I can only dream of reading 100 books!!

[Pam]

Thanks Desley. Yes, should manage 100 - did 115 in 2017 after all despite GR saying I didn't complete the challenge.

[Pam]

Here's the first of 2018 - The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. Reading what others have said, I seem to be in a minority in being underwhelmed by this book - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2241030811.

[Anna]

Pam, you do stop to sleep and eat, don't you?

[Pam]

Anna Faversham wrote: "Pam, you do stop to sleep and eat, don't you?"
LOL! Some books are quite easy/quick reads for me. Others take longer, like the big 1930s collection of 19th century supernatural fiction I've been wading through since before Christmas.

[Umut]

100! Admiration, what can we say 😀 I will go through your list for sure!

[Pam]

Umut wrote: "100! Admiration, what can we say 😀 I will go through your list for sure!"

Thanks Umut! I'm mainly reading old hardback/paperback books on the shelves at present, as part of a decluttering drive.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Pam wrote: "Anna Faversham wrote: "Pam, you do stop to sleep and eat, don't you?"
LOL! Some books are quite easy/quick reads for me. Others take longer, like the big 1930s collection of 19th century supernatur..."

Ooh, that sounds interesting

[Pam]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Ooh, that sounds interesting."

It is Desley. Some are pretty predictable when you've read as many ghost stories as me, but there are a couple by an interesting author I'd never encountered before.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

That's good

[Pam]

Finally finished a mammoth collection from 1931, introduced by Montague Summers, The Supernatural Omnibus: Being a Collection of Stories of Apparitions, Witchcraft, Werewolves, Diabolism, Necromancy, Satanism, Divination, Sorcery, Goetry, Voodoo, Possession, Occult, Doom and Destiny and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2241020706.

[Pam]

Finished a science fiction novel yesterday which I'd mean to get round to for years, having read the first chapter as a Nebula award winning novella: Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre. Review follows - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1367354168.

[Pam]

Read the next 2 books in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence - The Dark Is Rising - review here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1397626371 and Greenwitch - review here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2271955168.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Wow, better savour this while I can, I've read more books than you so far!

[Pam]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Wow, better savour this while I can, I've read more books than you so far!"

LOL - I've read a few I haven't yet managed to do the reviews for .....

[Pam]

First of my catch-up reviews:

Read book 4 in Susan Cooper's 'The Dark is Rising' series, The Grey King and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1398214675.

[Pam]

Second catch-up review - John Gordon's Skinners - reviewed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2286677865.

[Pam]

Third catch-up - Daphne DuMaurier's The King's General - review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2286690965.

[Pam]

LOL - read 8 so far and am 2 books behind in my challenge already! In my defence, I have been reading my own book again and correcting bits, so less time to read other books.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

You've beat me now!! Can't believe 8 books read means you are 2 behind.

[Pam]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "You've beat me now!! Can't believe 8 books read means you are 2 behind."

I know ... ridiculous isn't it?

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Very!

[Pam]

Just read two crime novels -

the first historical, set in Cromwell's Commonwealth by S G MacLean - The Seeker - review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2286720286.

and Val McDermid's - Fever of the Bone - review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2293439001.

[Pam]

Read another Val McDermid but was even less impressed than with the last one - Trick of the Dark - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2299322215.

[Pam]

Read a short story collection by Joan Aiken, A Touch of Chill and posted a review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2286721341.

[Pam]

Also read Val McDermid's The Skeleton Road and posted review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2299321398.


12 books completed - and 2 behind!

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Ooh, I like Val McDermid, not sure I have read any of those though. Sorry you are still behind.

[Pam]

Yes, me too Desley!

Now read a Richard Bachman aka Stephen King - The Regulators and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2304068044.

[Pam]

Read Tanith Lee's Lycanthia: or The Children of Wolves and posted a review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2312862229.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Pam wrote: "Yes, me too Desley!

Now read a Richard Bachman aka Stephen King - The Regulators and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
"

I don't think I was overkeen on that.

[Pam]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Pam wrote: "Yes, me too Desley!

Now read a Richard Bachman aka Stephen King - The Regulators and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
[bookcover:The Regula..."

Me neither!

[Pam]

Breaking news - they seem to have implemented a new "feature" when you go onto your challenge page - each time you go in, it tells you that you haven't entered a read date for a book. Blooming annoying now it's picking up all the ones I just put as 'read' and a star rating for some of the books I read pre Goodreads, but it did flag up one I'd read this year which although I'd put the end date it was still set as 'currently reading'. So I have read 15 books so far and am now only 2 behind!

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Hmm, didn't notice it on Mon. Glad it helped you though

[Pam]

Got a recommendation from one of my GR friends - thanks Adrian - and read a short work by Stephen Baxter which is a follow up to H G Wells' War of the Worlds and apparently a prequel to Baxter's own novel-length sequel - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2319711846.

[Pam]

Finally got round to reading The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg and reviewing it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2318899866.

[Pam]

Also read The Best of C.L. Moore and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2334266276.

[Pam]

And The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons, and reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2334278660.

[Pam]

Read a short story collection Amazons edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2337053129.

[Pam]

Catch-up:

A re-read of Gene Wolfe's The Fifth Head of Cerberus which I reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1414020222.

Then read a self published book which I really enjoyed but can't add it to GR as it has no ISBN.

Then a "biography" which I wasn't keen on - 1963: A Slice of Bread and Jam: One boy’s year of adventure, crippling poverty, abuse and an encounter with The Moors Murderers by Tommy Rhattigan and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2352912628.

[Pam]

A very enjoyable humour-horror read for Star Trek fans by Kevin Anderson - Night of the Living Trekkies - reviewed here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2338197844.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Seems a few mixed reads there, hope you have caught up now.

[Pam]

Not quite, still a few books behind my target!

Have a few more reviews to do.

[Pam]

Read a John Gordon novel, The Ghosts Of Blacklode and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2358173551.

[Pam]

Read a Cabbalistic and futuristic fantasy by Liz Williams, The Poison Master, reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2358348975.

[Pam]

Just finished a Ramsey Campbell short story collection, Dark Feasts: The World of Ramsey Campbell and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2358402880.

[Pam]

Can you believe it - after all the reviews I added in the last few days I was still 2 behind, which I thought wasn't right - thought after adding the Liz Williams, it should have gone down to one. Seems I was right, because after adding today's read, it now says I've read 27 books and I'm back on track with my challenge!

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

How odd - glad you are on track though

[Pam]

Might not be now ... I've read a few books in the last few days but haven't reviewed them all yet.

[Pam]

First in my catchup is The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series XIII edited by Karl Edward Wagner and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2358910497.