PhD Woes and Sanity Saving Reads

[Simon]

It seems appropriate to be thinking about what I'm going to be reading next year on the last day of this. This year has been a good year book wise. I managed to get though over 70 books and as usual they were very varied. Not all of them were (as I had planed for them to be) only from what I had in the house at 1st Jan 2018. I did end up buying a few but, in my defense, a few were also gifts.

This year though will be dominated by thoughts of a PhD and therefore my ability to read as I would want will be severely curtailed. I do though aim to read at least one book a month that has nothing to do with my study.

So here we go.

[Ilona]

Good luck, Simon! In what subject are you gonna start a PhD? - I am a PhD student myself, so I'd love to hear more about your project.

[Simon]

Ilona wrote: "Good luck, Simon! In what subject are you gonna start a PhD? - I am a PhD student myself, so I'd love to hear more about your project."

Thanks Ilona. I'm just starting the long and winding path towards funding but will be looking at Haemophilia Care in a post Factor Age, Focusing in particular on the Psychosocial aspects of curative treatments in Haemeophilia.

[Ilona]

That's sounds really interesting! I hope that you're able to find funding soon!

[Simon]

Ilona wrote: "That's sounds really interesting! I hope that you're able to find funding soon!"

Once again, Thanks Ilona
As this year goes on you may well see a number of PhD related reads appear in this thread as well as the sanity savers.
Good luck with your ongoing studies too.

[Ilona]

How is it going with your challenge so far? Have you been able to find some time to read?

[Simon]

Ilona wrote: "How is it going with your challenge so far? Have you been able to find some time to read?"

Hi Ilona,
both the challenge and the PhD prep are going well. The finding of the funding has probably been the most difficult thing but I think that's nearly there and then its on to the contracts. There's always something going on that needs a little careful attention.

The challenge has been good to. I've managed to bank some great novels in January but much of my reading the past month has been very much PhD based.

Books for pleasure:



Books for PhD



Current read:

[Ilona]

Glad to hear that everything is going well!

[Simon]

Quieter month.

finally finished

took a lot longer than I thought it would for some reason.

Managed to squeeze in one last book today:

Having finished it though I have to wonder why I bothered.

[Simon]

4 months in to the year and I've met my challenge, 20 books read.
I maybe should have set a higher target but I just didn't know what kind of reading I was going to be able to do this year. As many of you will know reading for study is an unsatisfying thing as you mostly always end up reading chapters here and there rather than reading whole books and for me on Goodreads only whole books count (partial reads and non finishers don't count).
5 books this month


This was a stinker of a book, poorly researched and poorly written.


Was looking for a new graphic novel series to get into so when I saw this in a 3 for 2 deal I thought I'd give it a bash.
OK but not great


What was a really great book was elevated to greatdom by an amazingly shocking ending. This series will be worth a further look.


Lemire is bang on form with this one. This is a keeper and promises to be great. Looking forward to getting Volume 2.


A book club read and boy did this suck. Never read any Grisham before and not likely to read any again after this.

[Ilona]

Simon wrote: "4 months in to the year and I've met my challenge, 20 books read.
I maybe should have set a higher target but I just didn't know what kind of reading I was going to be able to do this year. As many..."

Congrats on reaching your goal!

[Simon]

thought it was about time I updated what I've been doing over the past couple of months book wise.

Books May - July

I have loved the writing of Oliver Sacks ever since I first read Awakenings so it was so sad to think that this will be his last book. A fitting last book it was too. A true genius.


I couldn't get into the book so decided to give the audible version a go. Boy was the narrator as dull as ditchwater. Despite that an interesting book.


Alan Bleasdale's masterful play. As relevant today as it ever was.


A PhD read. interesting but slightly dull.


A relaxing Holiday read on the science of magic and deception.


Poetry and I have a love hate relationship, I love to hate it. A read to try to resolve that problem. I've yet to test out whether its made a difference of not.


Another look at the science behind magic.


A book club read and a bit of a disappointment if truth be told.


another book club read but actually quite enjoyed it. Plays a little fast and loose with the mythology though.

A Summer Graphic Fiction Fest

A great story which is building quite nicely. Lemire is a great writer.


Not bad but not great.


Mark Millar very nearly at his disturbing best.


An 'enjoyable' look at doing a PhD. Did I really need to do this to myself?

[Simon]

Ilona wrote: "Simon wrote: "4 months in to the year and I've met my challenge, 20 books read.
I maybe should have set a higher target but I just didn't know what kind of reading I was going to be able to do this..."

Thanks Ilona.
I really wasn't sure when my PhD was going to start back in January so deliberately set the target low. Having just started my studies in July I've noticed a distinct drop off in the numbers of books read; 2 and both of those Graphic fiction so easy reads.

[Simon]

Septembers nearly out and my reading has slowed down slightly as my PhD work has started to pick up. One or two of those PhD reads have made it in to the list that follows


I've been loving this Batman/Superman smackdown for a while now and whilst this isn't as good as the previous 3 it still manages to deliver for me.


Nothing to say about this other than it dod everything it sadi on the tin. A nice primer


LBC poster boy and all around simmingly nice guy James O'Briens take on the world today. An enjoyable and light read.


A delightlful Czech children's classic.


A read to de stress. Not one of the greatest Batman stories ever but enjoyable none the less.


A Frank Miller classic and I can't believe I've not read it before now.


Brilliant book. Makes you long for more sane times in the world. Times when the President of the USA was someone to look up to rather than look down upon.


I love Jared Diamond's work but this was a little off in places. An interesting take on Crisis management though and I definitely learned new things reading it.


Never read any of Gladwells books before and have a feeling this isn't one of his best. Really interesting but the premise on which the whole book hangs is all to flimsy.


Well I am about to start the Testaments so I felt I needed a quick reminder of the original (it is nearly 30 years since I read it). This is actually really good though and is an inventive way of telling the story one I'm sure Atwood would approve of as she has written a piece of graphic fiction herself.

Well there we go, two months in 10 books

[Ilona]

That is a great list! What did you think of The Testaments?