I have been using my Persephone Diary to record my reading thus far in 2011 (as my trusty notebook that had been in use since 2003 was about to run out), and I'm rather enjoying it. It is lovely to see the beautiful endpapers as I jot titles down. I've done well with my reading in 2011 so far; I am back on track with reading "proper" books after my slump into Babysitters Club books last May that I never really recovered from. I am doing pretty well with my Virago Modern Classics reading too, spurred on by Rachel and Carolyn's Virago reading week. Most days I have managed to read two books, though do not be too incredulous, normally this has been one novel and then a childrens book or a cookery book or something like that as a second title.
Here is the full list, copied from my Excel spreadsheet - I have made some slight refinements to my categorisation which I think will help me make better statistics of my reading.- here are the abbreviations:VMC = Virago Modern Classic
P = Persephone
LBD = Little Black Dress (my current guilty indulgence!)
CB = Cookbook
T = Travel
AB = Autobiography
B = Biography
NF = Non fiction (other than the above categories)
C = Children's
CW = Cornwall related in some way
RR = Reread.
| Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow | Oliphant, Mrs | P | |
| Bid me to live | H.D. | VMC | |
| Mrs Marridge Project | Fisk, Pauline | C | |
| Goldengrove Unleaving | Walsh, Jill Paton | Cw | |
| Christmas at Fairacre | Read, Miss | RR | |
| Stoner | Williams, John | ||
| Fortnum and Mason's Afternoon tea | NF | ||
| Girl in translation | Kowk, Jean | ||
| 12 days of Christmas | Ashley, Trisha | ||
| Salem Chapel | Oliphant, Mrs | VMC | |
| Yes sister, no sister | Craig, Jenifer | AB | |
| Good daughters | Hocking, Mary | VMC | |
| Diary of a lady | Johnson, Rachel | AB | |
| The love boat | Lace, Kate | LBD | |
| Izzy's war | Dewar, Islar | ||
| Indifferent heroes | Hocking, Mary | VMC | |
| The air hostess | LBD | ||
| The good psychologist | |||
| Easy chocolate | Marks and Spencers | CB | |
| Salzburg: City Guide | T | ||
| Skippy dies | Murray, Paul | ||
| Word watching | Horne, Alex | NF | |
| The loved and the envied | Bagnold, Enid | VMC | |
| Papercraft | Marie Claire Ideas | NF | |
| Housebound | Peck, Winifred | P | RR |
| Hidden places of Cornwall | T | ||
| Welcome heroes | Hocking, Mary | VMC | |
| Seagulls in the attic | Hadsworth, Tessa | AM | CW |
| The village | Laski, Mangerita | P | RR |
| Millennium hall | Scott, Sarah | VMC | |
| Comfort and joy | Knight, India | ||
| Return to Peyton Place | Metalious, Grace | ||
| Voices in summer | Pilcher, Rosamund | ||
| Room | Donahue, Emma | ||
| Learn to cook wheat, gluten and dairy free | Savill, Antoinette | CB | |
| Tiny bit of marvellous | French, Dawn | ||
| Dean's lighthouse adventure | Fiddler, Kathleen | C | |
| Repeat it today with tears | Peile, Anne | ||
| Animal instincts | Dixon, Nell | LBD | |
| Every home needs a balcony | Dunn, Raina | ||
| Party frock | Streatfeild, Noel | C | RR |
| Daddy's gone a-hunting | Mortimer, Penelope | P | RR |
| Pete, Pam and Jim: the investigators | Fiddler, Kathleen | C | |
| Glitter of Mica | Kessoon, Jessie | VMC | |
| Noel Streatfeild | Bull, Angela | B | RR |
| We that were young | Rathbone, Irene | VMC | |
| Starter marriage | Harrison, Kate | ||
| Susan Spray | Kaye-Smith, Sheila | VMC | |
| Barrow Lane Gang | Streatfield, Noel | C | |
| Growing up gracefully | Streatfield, Noel | C | NF |
| Christmas cooking with kids | Rigg, Annie | CB | C |
| Zoe | Jewsbury, Geraldine | VMC | |
| Seriously good | Vickery, Phil | CB | |
| Sunlight on a broken column | Hosain, Attia | VMC | |
| Diary of a medical nobody | Lane, Kenneth | AB |
I feel quite pleased with this start to the year...I am sure the Persephone Diary has made me try hard with my reading :)
And what will I be reading in February?
Here's my stack of chick lit (on the left), slightly more serious reading in the middle, and three books which I have recently acquired. Can't wait to read We had it so good. Oh, and I hope to be reading from my recent haul of Viragos too!
Now that's a terrific way to use your diary! Which endpapers are your favourite or are they too numerous to mention?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to use your Persephone diary. I'm intrigued by the book - 'Every Home Needs a Balcony'.... What did you think of comfort and Joy?
ReplyDeleteI am SO impressed - if only I could read half of what you get through! The Persephone diary is just beautiful isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful use for a Persephone diary. I think next year I'll have to acquire something similar! Of course, I'm afraid mine would be awfully blank compared to yours!
ReplyDeleteThat is some serious reading! Plus some more nice reading for February by the looks of the books.
ReplyDeleteGood use for your diary as well.
Ha! I think mine would be largely blank if I used it for the same purpose (if I had a Persephone Diary, that is!)!! I get through a book a week if I'm lucky - life is just too busy to find time to read these days!
ReplyDeleteThe Persephone Diary is just beyond gorgeous. I will get one for 2012. But I'll have to wrap it in some form of sticky back plastic because knowing me and the state of the insides of most of my bags, it will be covered in grime by the end of January 1st.
You are so organised! What a lovely way to use the Persephone Diary... it must add to the aesthetics of reading and spur you on to more :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, what a lovely idea. I'm jealous! I haven't been able to read like that for yonks, can't wait to see your reviews.
ReplyDeleteWow, you have read alot so far this year! Love your diary!
ReplyDeleteYour diary is being used for just the right topic. Two books a day still stuns me completely. I am struggling to read half a book. I love Miss Read's Christmas stories, they are just so cosy.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is a combination of my love for the bookish and writing, but I really want to start a daily reading journal! I have my usual journal that I write in a few times a week, but I would love a place to record my daily reading habits.
ReplyDeleteThe OCD girl that I am must wait until my birthday or new year's to begin such an orderly task!
i don't think I've got through even a third of the number of titles that you've managed! Wow! I do like the idea of a special diary for book recording - and a Persephone one sounds just the job.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed "Winter's Tale" which I read on my Kindle - eeek !
ReplyDeleteI love how you're using your Persephone diary. And a bit in awe at how many books you manage to get through. I thought I read fast, but you're super speedy and blog as you go!
ReplyDelete