Monthly Round-up January 2011

January News
In case you hadn't noticed, I switched to a custom domain. This is something I'd been meaning to do for ages, I was just a bit scared that it wouldn't work but thankfully it did. You can now find the site at www.literaryenchantment.net, but don't worry, any old links will still work just fine. I also have a new layout, which I'm still tweaking to my liking.
Highlight of the month: I did an interview with Maria V. Snyder. She's one of my favourite authors, so this was kind of a big deal for me!
Also in January I launched a new weekly feature/meme called Monday Memories where every Monday I talk about one of my favourite childhood books. I've really enjoyed doing this feature, it's fun to look back at some of the books that kicked off my reading addiction.

Books finished in January
Friends of Choice by Linda Nelson
Puzzle For the Secret Seven by Enid Blyton
Die A Little by Megan Abbott
The Ring O' Bells Mystery by Enid Blyton
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Dead in the Water by Carola Dunn
Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning
Fire Season by V.H. Folland
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean. M. Auel
Hector & The Secrets of Love by François Lelord

My favourite book this month was The Clan of the Cave Bear.  It was nothing like any other book I've read and it was just amazing. 

My reviews for all these books will be up in the next couple of weeks, I'm still trying to catch up with reviews from last year!

Reviews posted in January
Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
A Step Too Far by Meg Hutchinson
Summer, Sun & Stuff According to Alex by Kathryn Lamb
The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

Monday Memories in January
The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

Books received this month: 16
Added to wishlist: 21

What's coming in February?
On Feb 16th I'll be taking part in the blog tour for Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning. I'll be posting a review of the book and Richard will be answering a couple of questions.
I've also got plenty of reviews lined up and I'll be continuing with Monday Memories.

Looking back at 2010

Happy New Year everyone! I'm really sorry I haven't posted very much lately, I've had the flu and haven't been online much.
I can't believe this blog has been running for over a year now, the time seems to have gone really quickly. So, here's a quick look back over what I've read in 2010.

I read 125 books in 2010, you can see the full list on my 'read in 2010' page.
I've reviewed 53 books since the blog was launched.

My top 12 books that I've read this year, based on which books I picked as my favourite read each month, are (in no particular order):
1. 85A by Kyle Thomas Smith* | goodreads
2. My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent* | goodreads
3. Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder | goodreads
4. Endal by Allen & Sandra Parton | goodreads
5. Moonshine by Christina Jones | goodreads
6. House At The Corner by Enid Blyton* | goodreads
7. The White Empress by Lyn Andrews* | goodreads
8. Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison | goodreads
9. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters | goodreads
10. Double Stitch by John Rolfe Gardiner | goodreads
11. Diary of a Hapless Househusband by Sam Holden | goodreads
12. Gorilla Adventure by Willard Price | goodreads
* review to come

 Author appearances:
Interview with Rachel Vincent, author of Shifters series and Soul Screamers series
Guest post by Richard Galbraith, author of Concrete Operational
Interview with Luisa Plaja, author of Split By A Kiss

Thanks to all of my lovely blog readers for sticking with me through my first year of book blogging. Here's to 2011, and let's hope it's even better than 2010!

Monthly Round-up November 2010

Another month is over, and winter is officially here. We've even had snow this month, not enough to cause any major disruption, but enough to make you feel like emigrating to Australia! lol

November News
The Greetings Card Exchange was open for sign ups all month, and not many people signed up, so I've decided it's best to just cancel it. Only three people signed up, and two of them wouldn't send cards out of their own country, so basically there was no-one to exchange with :(
I did an interview with Rachel Vincent, author of the Shifters and Soul Screamers series.

Books finished in November
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Beaver Towers by Nigel Hinton
Alpha by Rachel Vincent

My favourite book this month was My Soul To Take.

Books reviewed in November
A Catch of Consequence by Diana Norman
Whisper of a Witch by Suza Kates
Alpha by Rachel Vincent
Beaver Towers by Nigel Hinton
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon

Books received in November: 9
Added to wishlist: 12

What's coming in December?
At the moment it looks like after Christmas I'll be out of a job again, which sucks, but does mean I'll have more time to spend on my blog. And with both Christmas and my blogoversary in December there's plenty to celebrate so I'll be having a couple of giveaways. Also I might share some christmassy photos with you as there's some exciting christmas events going on locally.
I might also have a couple of author interviews to share. And as always there'll be book reviews :)

Monthly Round-Up - October 2010

I can't believe it's November already! It seems like only yesterday it was Christmas last year when I had a broken arm.
I didn't get a lot of reading done in October, I seem to have got sucked into a routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, eating my dinner then going to bed. I think the fact that it's always dark and gloomy outside doesn't help much.

October news
I launched the Greetings Card Exchange, other than that not much has happened around here.

Books finished in October: None! But I did start reading Alpha by Rachel Vincent.

Books reviewed in October:
Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Entangled by Cat Clarke

Books received in October: 10
Added to wishlist:  0

What's coming up in November?
I'll be taking part in NaNoWriMo, but hope to still be blogging throughout the month. Sign ups for the Greetings Card Exchange will continue. Hopefully I might get some reading done in between everything else!

Monthly Round-up - September 2010, IMM 17

I'm a bit late with my monthly round-up and last weeks IMM. I spent the whole day on Sunday frantically typing a 1500 word essay that had to be in Monday morning. Anyway, that's out of the way now, so back to business.

September's news:

• Birthday giveaway winners were announced
• Started a Facebook for the blog

In my mailbox 17
Last week I got one book:


Books read in September:
The One & Only by Sophie McKenzie
Entangled by Cat Clarke
Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Exurbia by Molly McGrann
The Outcast by Sadie Jones
Endal by Allen & Sandra Parton
The Pi**ed Off Parents Club by Mink Elliott
Puppy's Pet Pals by Gerald Durrell
Whisper of a Witch by Suza Kates

Total read: 9
It's so hard to choose a favourite book this month, they were all pretty great! If I absolutely had to pick I'd say Endal was my favourite just because it's completely different to anything I normally read.

Books reviewed in September:
Endal by Allen & Sandra Parton
A Wartime Poetry Journal by Effie M. Roberts
Moonshine by Christina Jones

Total reviewed: 3

Books received in September: 7 (10 if you count my uni books)
Added to wishlist: 6

What's coming in October?
I've signed up for NaNoWriMo in November, so throughout October I'll be preparing for that. Also, because all of the winners of my birthday giveaway were international readers I'm thinking of having a UK only competition.

Monthly Round-Up - August 2010

Hope you've all had a great month. August has been a busy month for me, there was a bunch of family birthdays, my mum came to visit for a weekend, work was crazy, and there's been some big arguments too. All of that has slightly taken me away from blogging, but I am still here! So here's a round-up of reading in August.

Books read in August:
1. My Secret Admirer by Carol Ellis
2. Tall, Dark and Filthy Rich by Jill Monroe
3. The Smoking Gun by Malcolm Rose
4. I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
5. The Player by Rhonda Nelson
6. The Hitchhiker by R.L. Stine
7. Milly Molly Mandy Stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley
8. A Wartime Poetry Journal by Effie M. Roberts
9. Moonshine by Christina Jones
10. The Ruby In The Smoke by Philip Pullman
11. Ratcatcher by James McGee
12. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
13. Skinny B, Skaz and Me by John Singleton
14. Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon
15. Danger In The Shadows by Dee Henderson

Total read: 15
My favourite book this month was Moonshine by Christina Jones. It's a really fun and cute story with a touch of magic. I'll be posting my full review of it tomorrow.

Books reviewed in August:
1. Touching The Sky by Susan Madison
2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
3. My Soviet Kitchen by Amy Spurling

Total reviewed: 3

Books received in August: 20
Books added to wishlist: 17

What's coming in September?
My birthday giveaway is ongoing until September 30th, make sure you enter for your chance to win one of three books. Apart from that, you can look forward to more reviews and maybe a few book-related posts.

Monthly Round-Up - July 2010

I'm a bit late with the monthly round-up for July, but not a lot happened anyway. If I was doing blogging for a job I think I'd have been sacked this month!

Books read in July
1. Live Bait by P.J.Tracy
2. My Soviet Kitchen by Amy Spurling
3. Isabel's Daughter by Judi Hendricks
4. Bertie, May and Mrs Fish by Xandra Bingley
5. Skull Session by Daniel Hecht
6. The WAG's Diary by Alison Kervin
7. African Adventure by Willard Price
8. House at the Corner by Enid Blyton

Total read: 8
My favourite book read this month was House at the Corner by Enid Blyton.

Books Reviewed in July

None. Isn't that terrible?

Books received this month: 14
Books added to wishlist this month: 0

What's coming in August?
Well we're already a week into August so really it's what's coming in the rest of August. I'll be scheduling some reviews today to be posted over the next few days. I do not want a repeat of last month! I'm also still working on the 'secret project' that I mentioned a while back.
My birthday is coming up on August 26th so I might have a birthday giveaway.

Monthly Round-up June 2010

For me, this month seemed to go on for ages. I think that's because a lot has happened this month.
Firstly, I completely overhauled the way my blog looked, giving it a brand new name and layout. Then I participated in Bloggiesta for the first time, which was great fun, and I got quite a bit of work done on the blog.
I had a giveaway for My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares, the lucky winner was Kailia Sage.
Finally, I've also introduced a new feature called 'Brilliant Book Bloggers' where I interview other book bloggers.

If you're wondering why the blog has been a bit quiet for the last week or so, it's because I've just started a new job, and I'm still adjusting to my new working hours. It's not just the hours that are affecting my blogging though, yesterday at work I spent the whole day typing, so by the time I got home the last thing I wanted to do was type even more! Anyway, I'm sure once I get used to it all, I'll be back blogging as normal.

Books read in June
Lottery by Patricia Wood
Nothing To Lose by Lee Child
Revelation by C.J. Sansom
Blue Heaven by C.J. Box
Code Name Mr Right by Jacqueline Harvey
Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley
The Great Indoors by Sabine Durrant
The White Empress by Lyn Andrews
My So-Called Life by Joanna Nadin
Apple Pie by Small Stories
Straight Into Darkness by Faye Kellerman
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Cheerleader by Caroline B. Cooney
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

Total read: 17

Books reviewed in June
The Cheerleader by Caroline B. Cooney
Quantum Breach by Mark Powell
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets & Other Stories by Stephen Crane
Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Total reviewed: 6

My favourite book read this month was tough to pick because I read a lot of fantastic books this month. I think I'll have to pick The White Empress by Lyn Andrews. It was a wonderful story that I really loved.

Books received this month: 8
Books added to wishlist this month: 10

What's coming in July?
As I said earlier, having just started a new job, it might take me a few days to get back in to the habit of posting regularly. But once I do get posting again, there will of course be lots of reviews and you can also look forward to a Brilliant Book Blogger interview with Luisa from Chicklish.

Monthly Round-up May 2010

Well, once again I'm disappointed in myself for not posting more reviews. Maybe one of these days I'll get into the habit of posting every couple of days instead of just once a week or something.

Books read in May
A Necessary Evil by Alex Kava
EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott
Quantum Breach by Mark Powell
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison
Tracking Down Your Ancestors by Harry Alder
Cover Her Face by P.D. James
The Crows by Amy Hayle
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
East End Tales by Gilda O'Neill
Collins Bumper Play Book (Collection of children's short stories)
Summer, Sun and Stuff According to Alex by Kathryn Lamb
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Total read: 12

Books reviewed in May
EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison
East End Tales by Gilda O'Neill

Total reviewed: 4

My favourite book read this month was Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison. I found it really hilarious.

Challenge updates
50 books in 2010: completed on 6th May. I'm now aiming for 100 in 2010.

Books received this month: 14
Books added to wishlist this month: 16

What's coming in June?
I'm thinking of doing some features/interviews with other book bloggers. If you're interested in being featured, please fill out this form.

Monthly Round-Up April 2010

I haven't been blogging much in April, firstly I was having a few internet connection problems, secondly I've been catching up on a lot of reading. But I'm back now and have a whole heap of reviews to be posted through May.

I've slightly changed the format for my monthly round-up posts because before I was only listing books that I'd reviewed but from now on I'm also going to list everything I've read in the past month.

Books read in April:
Maggie and Other Stories by Stephen Crane
Touching The Sky by Susan Madison
I Like It Like That by Claire Calman
A Catch of Consequence by Diana Norman
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer
A Step Too Far by Meg Hutchinson
Crazy In Love by Chrissie Manby
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The Nation's Favourite Twentieth Century Poems
True Stories About Cats and Dogs by Eliza Lee Follen
The Cockatoo's Story by Anne Jane Cupples
 
Total books read: 12
 
Books reviewed in April:
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Divas Don't Knit by Gil McNeil
By Royal Command by Mary Hooper
The Cradle Snatcher by Tess Stimson
 
Total books reviewed: 4
 
My favourite book this month was The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I seriously could not put this book down until I'd finished it.
 
April Blog News
As I wasn't blogging much this month there isn't really any news. Although I did get some more blog awards.
 
What's coming in May?
Well, as you'll see if you look at what I've read this year, I have a huge backlog of reviews to catch up on. I have a few that are written and ready to post, but a lot of them are still in note form and need to be written properly.  

Monthly Round-Up - March 2010 and Giveaway Winner

I don't know about anyone else, but March has been super busy for me. I'm really glad that it's Easter this weekend, hopefully it'll give me an opportunity to relax and catch up with some reading and some reviews.

My first blog giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Spav who wins a copy of Lily by Adèle Geras.

Books I reviewed in March
1. Double Stitch by John Rolfe Gardiner
2. Serial Killers by Brian Innes
3. Decision Most Deadly By Mark Turnbull
4. Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder
5. Mania by Craig Larsen
6. Montmorency by Eleanor Updale

My favourite book this month is a tough choice because I've really enjoyed all of the books I've read. But if I had to pick I'd say Double Stitch by John Rolfe Gardiner.

March blog news

• The first blog giveaway was a success (I was worried nobody was going to enter!)
• I've changed the layout to this purple one.

What's coming in April?

• I must catch up on my reviews, I've read several books that I haven't reviewed yet.

Monthly Round-Up - February 2010

February is such a short month, I hardly even noticed that it was over!

Books I reviewed in February:
1. The Moonlight by Joyce Cary
2. Diary of a Hapless Househusband by Sam Holden
3. DEAD(ish) by Naomi Kramer
4. Going With Gabriel by Bryan Islip
5. Some Kind of Hero by Donna Hay
6. Honeycote by Veronica Henry

My favourite book this month was Diary of a Hapless Househusband by Sam Holden.

What's coming in March?

• I'm thinking of doing a giveaway.
• I'm going to try to post more often.

Monthly Round-Up - January 2010

I really can't believe that January is over already. It's flown by! This was my first full month as a book blogger, and it's been going great so far. So what has been happening around here in January?

Books I reviewed in January:
1. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
2. Cold Cases by Charlotte Greig
3. Morgan's Woman by Iris Gower
4. Uncanny Stories by May Sinclair
5. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
6. Lily by Adele Geras
7. The World's Greatest Unsolved Crimes by Roger Boar and Nigel Blundell
8. Birthday Girl by Diane J. Wright
9. Gorilla Adventure by Willard Price
10. Illusion by Edmond Cheng

My favourite book I read this month was Gorilla Adventure by Willard Price.

January blog news:

• I started swapping books through readitswapit.co.uk
• I won my first blog award
• I changed my blog layout
• I opened an Amazon Affiliates store

What's coming in February?

• I'm starting my university course, so I might not be blogging as often as I'd like, but I'll do my best.
• I plan to start writing some book-related articles & non-review posts.
• I want to get my blog 'out there' more, and gain some new followers.