Bluebells in May

The Month of May

Some facts about the month of May:

May’s gemstone: Emerald

May’s flower: Lilly of the Valley

May is named after the Greek godess, Maia. The month is a time of great celebrations in the northern hemisphere as it is a time when flowers emerge and crops begin to sprout.

The Anglo-Saxon (old English) name for May was Tri-Milchi in recognition of the fact that with the lush new grass the cows could be mikled three times per day. It was first called May in about 1430.

I love May as the days become warmer, the evenings longer and it finally starts to feel like summer is on its way. People seem a little more carefree and eveything is so beautiful: bluebells, rhodedendruns, rape seed oil (the bright yellow fields that look so sunny!).

Books I have read in May 2010

Little by Lost by Marghanita Laski

Sunlight on Cold Water by Francoise Sagan

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark

The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark

Land of the Living by Nicci French

The Japanese Lover by Rani Manicka

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (review to follow)

Author interview in May 2010

My favourite lady:

Mary Higgins Clark

What were your favourite posts?

In May, the most looked at book reviews were:

1) Mornings In Jenin by Susan Abulhawa (for the 3rd month in a row and it is also the most viewed book review of all since this blog started)

 2) Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski

3) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The most looked at posts (non- book review) were:

1) Guilty As Charged, Mi’ Lord!

2) The Best 11 Book Club Reads….EVER!

3) Curl Up With….Enid Blyton

So, on to the month of June. Happy reading everyone! )

Spring has arrived

At least I thought it had until this weekend! So what has gone on Chez Book Whisperer this April?

My new job started and despite feeling run ragged and having so much to learn and take in and being up and down the UK motorway links or on trains for half the week means that I am in dream-land the minute my head hits the pillow on a night, I am really enjoying it.

Book-wize, I’ve been a head cheerleader in my first read-a-thon, I’ve signed up to Audible.com and been listening to books on my iPod when I’m too tired to hold a book in my hands (genius!), I’ve won a poetry competition and won Robin Maxwell’s new book (signed) and the most gorgeous Italian leather journal which I intend to write more poetry in (the standard of said poetry may be rather quesitonable but at least it turns out that I really quite enjoy it), I’ve won several more books in competitions (more details later), two tickets to a Vintage Books day at Floyles in London which I will combine with my first UK book bloggers meet-up in London next week! Phew!!

Top Posts in April

So, what were people reading on The Book Whisperer this month?

The most read book reviews were:

Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris and Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa.

The most read non-review posts were:

In at number 1 was The Best 11 Book Club Books EVER!!  This was followed by I’m Freaking Out! (it turns out that I am not the only person who gets the booky-shakes from time to time).

The most read Author Interview was:

Gail Carriger (author of the Parasol Protectorate series).

Books I read in April

Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris

A Woman’s Life by Guy de Maupassant

Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark

Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman

Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid

Part of the Furniture by Mary Wesley

Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner

Out of these books my favourites were Part of the Furniture by Mary Wesley and Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman. Brilliant!

What have been your favourite books of April?

What a long month March has seemed to be for me. I have been made redundant, got another job, had two bookish friends staying with me and exploring my home county of Yorkshire with them, we’ve had friends over for get-togethers, I’ve had a pampering day in the spa, the parents-in-law staying with us, done several 6-10 mile hikes in the countryside, one trip to the Doctors, one trip to the Hospital……..and all this in one month!

Despite my busy month I also, more importantly, managed to read 8 books! But first some facts about my booksish March:

Most popular posts

The two most popular posts (almost tying for first place) were the two Boof’s Whispererings posts. These also got the most comments.

The top Book Reviews were (again tying for first place) You Belong to Me by Mary Higgins Clark and Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa.

The most viewed author interview was with Becca Fitzpatrick , author of Hush Hush again (this has won every month so far).

The Book Whisperer blog

I am really chuffed about this as I only strated this book in Mid-December 2009 and already in 3 ½ months I have had over 7,000 hits on my blog. I am so pleased as this means that people are reading and sharing in my passion of books. This isn’t a money-generating blog and it’s not my job, it’s something I do because of my love and passion for the printed word and sharing that with like-minded people is what drives me to do this. Thanks to everyone who is a regular reader and those who just pop by. I love seeing you on here

So what did I read?

I read the following books in March:

The Hanging Valley by Peter Robinson
Far From The Land by Thomas J Rice
You Belong to Me by Mary Higgins Clark
In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson
East Lynne by Ellen Wood
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marhganita Laski
Let me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark

What was my favourite?

I have to say East Lynne - I absolutely adored that book and it shot into my Top 20 of all time. A close second is The Snowman as that was such a gripping, fast-paced crime novel and I loved it!

Summay

I’ve had a great month doing the thing I love the most – reading – and discovered some truly great books. So on to April….

Well, it’s been a long month: it feels like Christmas was months ago! Since then we’ve had blizzards –  Britain ground to a halt for a week while the whole of the country was covered in unrelenting snow, we’ve had the earthquake in Haiti, the Iraq enquiry, and on a personal note I’ve lost 10lb’s! What a month!

So what have I read in January 2010?

1) Invisible I (The Amanda Project) by Stella Lennon. 

Good fun YA book. 7 stars.

2) The Daries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain.

Loved this book. Short, sweet and just lovely. 8 stars.

3) The Cradle Will Fall by Mary Higgins Clark

I am a huge MHC fan and this is one of the best! 9 stars.

4) Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger

This was SO much fun! Just loved it and can’t wait for the next in the series. 9 stars.

5) Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

Interesting story about Alice in Wonderland and Lewis Carrol. 7 stars.

6) Corrag by Susan Fletcher

My favourite book of the month. Wonderful and highly recommended! 10 stars!

 7) Shakespeare’s Truth by Rex Richards

Fast and pacey plot. Enjoyed it. 6 stars.