It’s that time of the week again… time to link up with Sheila from Book Journey to share my weekly reading.

Last week’s reading

As it happened, my reading plans last week pretty much went out of the window with the arrival of a couple of new books.

I’d recently read Eden,  Candice Fox’s new release and follow-up to her popular debut novel Hades.  I’d decided I must read Hades so was tres excited to discover it’s being released o/s in late January 2015 so I was able to grab a copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley.

Outside the Lines  by Amy Hatvany arrived in hard copy (a rarity for me) via Allen & Unwin and I very quickly read that. It’s a lovely-though-sad book which examines mental illness and (more broadly) societal norms.

As planned, I read a novel written by a fellow Aussie book blogger (and film reviewer) Susan May. Back Again  was thoroughly enjoyable and bolstered by the very interesting premise about our ability to change fate. Or not.

I had a couple of nights off due to other commitments, so I’ve only just started Frances Whiting’s Walking on Trampolines.

Reviews and bloggy stuff

I reviewed Candice Fox’s Hades  on the blog during the week. I posted my review of Susan May’s Back Again  in Goodreads, and I shared a blog post listing my favourite eight (8) novels of 2014. As someone who eschews non-fiction I just stuck to novels and – of course – there’s nothing from the romance / fantasy genres (etc) there. The books I selected were those I loved and those which have stayed with me since.

I also blogged about my reading habits – after being tagged by a friend. And finally I’ve just blogged about (in)appropriate dinner party conversations and the bizarre regularity with which I was plagued by salmonella poisoning when I lived in Africa many years ago.

Other stuff

As I mentioned last week, I went to a fundraising lunch featuring Australian actor and author William McInnes. He’d appeared at the local Mary Ryan’s bookstore the night before and reportedly been hilarious. He didn’t talk a lot about his writing at the lunch but shared some anecdotes about his family and childhood holidays. Which was apt as his latest book is called Holidays.

Holidays  is non-fiction so not something I’d read, despite William’s clearly great sense of humour. He suggested we cherish even the worst holidays because they’re the ones we most remember and often become dinner party fodder or BBQ jokes – which is actually very true. I also jotted down a couple of things he said which I found quite interesting. He said holidays are about sharing our lives with people we love and those, he suggested, we’d look back on later – only then realising how important they were to us. And then there was this…

Never be afraid to let the world know you’re alive.

#Inothernews I had a very overdue hair appointment during the week and while there found myself touched by the actions of a local 13yr old girl.

Months before (the mother told me) they’d watched a TV show in which a very young child had donated locks of her hair to a charity which made wigs for cancer patients. Her daughter decided she’d like to do something similar and so – as soon as the school year ended – she bravely sat in the chair at the hairdressers and had inches and inches of her hair cut off.

Her mother was understandably proud and told me that she thinks it’s good that kids (from a young age) start to think about doing stuff for others. I *may* have almost shed a tear or two. In this instance the young girl’s hair was going to a charity called Love Your Locks.

I finished watching the TV mini-series Death Comes to Pemberley. I quite enjoyed it – which was interesting – as I HATED the novel. I’ve read P & P many times and been a devoted fan of the BBC mini-series and I really felt PD James didn’t capture the essence of the characters. However… I think the new TV series got there in the end (and perhaps the book did as well).

What I’m reading this week

At the end of this week my mother and I are heading to Brisbane to my brother’s for the start of Christmas celebrations. My SIL turns 50 on Saturday so she’s shouting a heap of us to the ballet and we’re having drinks after. And then – unless I get my act together beforehand – I’ll be doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in the lead up to the big day which we’re spending with my bro, niece, SIL and her family.

Of course the exciting part of all of that is that I’m having a couple of weeks off work. I only work part-time but I’m still looking forward to the break. (Sadly I’m a contractor so don’t get paid while on hols, but still…)

Anyhoo, I’m not being terribly aspirational in my reading as a result. I will aim to finish Walking on Trampolines,  and read Jane Green’s Saving Grace,  which I did think I’d start last week. Alas.

I’ll probably also finally get to Lisa Unger’s Crazy Love You  which I’ve had for MONTHS. It’s not due for publication for a while yet though, so I’ve kept de-prioritising it. I’m a huge Lisa Unger fan though so looking forward to this novel…. and I’m kinda excited I’ve left it until I’m on holidays to read!

And that’s about it for this week.

What’s on your agenda – bookwise or other?