Helen gets bookish

I'm Helen and I'm head of quality in a small firm that makes inhaler devices for delivery of drugs to the lung. It's a small team and I love my job. (Usually)

After a rather busy 2024, I'm hoping 2025 is a bit more relaxed. I've had a rejig of some categories and added a couple to try and stretch my reading a little. I may be asking for ideas on at least one of them!

I was feeling rather uninspired for categories, so I'm just using images of books I have read. After last year's crafty thread, I will continue to post my crafty activities as well.

The list

1. New authors

I aim to read a good proportion of new authors. This cover is the most recent of my new authors, and as it includes the word new in the sub-title, that makes it a perfect fit.

2. Woman Authors

I aim to read a good proportion of women authors, last year that was approaching 2/3rds. The image is a catalogue of a photographic exhibition of 100 women who were firsts in some way. An excellent exhibition, I saw it in 2018. https://1stwomenuk.co.uk/

3. Authors of colour

I've not tracked my reading by non-white authors, but I feel that it could be rather white and pasty in general. This title was looking at the impact of Latinx people in the US, so would be an example of the people I want to try and make sure I am reading.

4. Books in Translation

A chance to read things that are a little out of the ordinary and not necessarily from an English perspective. This will capture all those books that were originally written in a different language and have been translated into English.

5. Library books

I try and make use of my local library, be that actually or via the BorrowBox app. This will keep track of the books I have borrowed.

6. Audio books

Audio books are read by voices, but hopefully not distant ones. This category will capture the books I have listened to.

7. Non-fiction

Facts are usually important in books of Non-Fiction, hence this is where I'll capture my factual reading.

8. Series reads

This category contains 1 author and 2 series read that I hope to wrap up in 2025. At times it feels like series contain one book too many!

Heyer
Finished
✔️ The Black Moth (g) 1921 Finished 01Jan18, ****1/2
✔️ Powder and Patch (g) 1923 Finished 05Feb18, ***
✔️ The Great Roxhythe (h) 1923 Finished 30Apr18, ***
✔️ Simon the Coldheart (h) 1925 Finished 7May18, ***
✔️ These Old Shades (g) 1926 Finished 31May18, ***
✔️ The Masqueraders (g) 1928 Finished 17Jul18, ****
✔️ Beauvallet (h) 1929 Finished 08Sep2018, ****
✔️ The Conqueror (h) 1931 Finished 25Dec2018, ****
✔️ Devil's Cub (g) 1932 Finished 31Jan2019, ****
✔️ The Convenient Marriage (g) 1934 Finished 12Mar2019, ****1/2
✔️ Regency Buck (r) 1935 Finished 08May2019, ****1/2
✔️ The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer Finished 10Aug2019, ***
✔️ An Infamous Army, Georgette Heyer Finished 13Oct2019, ***
✔️ Royal Escape, Georgette Heyer Finished 14Feb2020, ***
✔️ The Spanish Bride, Georgette Heyer Finished 28Mar2020, ***
✔️ The Corinthian, Georgette Heyer Finished 17Jun2020, ****
✔️ Faro's Daughter, Georgette Heyer Finished 25Aug2020, ****
✔️ Friday's Child, Georgette Heyer Finished 10Oct2020, ****
✔️ The Reluctant Widow, (r) Finished 24Jan2021, ****
✔️ The Foundling (r) 1948 Finished 21Apr2021, ****
✔️ Arabella, (r) 1949 ****1/2 Finished 19Jun2021
✔️ The Grand Sophy, (r) 1950, **** Finished 25Jul2021
✔️ The Quiet Gentleman (r) 1951, ****1/2 Finished 24Sep2021
✔️ Cotillion (r) 1953, **** Finished 15Apr2023
✔️ The Toll Gate (r) 1954, **** Finished 31May2023
✔️ Bath Tangle (r) 1955, Georgette Heyer, **** Finished 10Sep2023
✔️ Sprig Muslin (r) 1956, ****, Finished 23Sep2023
✔️ April Lady (r) 1957, *** Finished 17Nov2023
✔️ Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle (r) 1957, *** Finished 02Feb2024
✔️ Venetia (r) 1958, ***** Finished 03May2024
✔️ The Unknown Ajax (r) 1959 ***** Finished 02Jul2024
✔️ Pistols for Two (short stories) 1960, **** 05Oct2024
✔️A Civil Contract (r) 1961, *** 22Nov2024

To be Read
The Nonesuch (r) 1962
False Colours (r) 1963
Frederica (r) 1965
Black Sheep (r) 1966
Cousin Kate (r) 1968
Charity Girl (r) 1970
Lady of Quality (r) 1972
My Lord John (h) 1975

Albert Campion
To read
Hide My Eyes
The China Governess
The Mind Readers
Cargo of Eagles

Ruth Griffiths
To read
The Last Remains
(must be doable, yes?!)

9. CATs

A title containg cats and books, what could be a better fit for my CAT reads.

RandomCAT: Hosting in April
AlphaKit

10. Colour CAT

I'm splitting ColourCat out as I think this might need a bit of extra planning. Looking forward to this one. AIming to pick from the 1001 list where I can.

January – Green - Graeme Greene Brighton Rock (library) / Margery Allingham a Penguin Crime green cover
February – Gold - Oliver Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield (library) or Henry James The Golden bowl (library)
March – Pink - Rose Tremain (maybe)
April – Brown (hosting) Sir Thomas Browne (own shelves)
May – Red - The Red and the Black Stendhal (library)
June – Yellow - Crome Yellow Aldous Huxley (library)
July – White - TH WHite Once & Future King (own shelves)
August – Grey
September – Silver
October – Black
November – Blue
December - Purple

11. Art that made us list

I'm a sucker for a list, this one has the advantage of being manageable! Let's see how far I can get through.

Episode 1: Light in the darkness (Pre history to the Bayeux Tapestry)
Y Gododdin, Bard Aneirin
Lindisfarne Gospels, Eadfrith
✔️ Beowulf, Anon

Episode 2: Revolution of the Dead (Black Death)
✔️ Pearl, Anon
✔️ Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
The Vision of Piers Plowman, William Langland
✔️ Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich
The book of Margery Kemp, Margery Kemp

Episode 3: Queens, Feud & Faith (Tudors)
Foxe's Book of Martyrs, John Foxe
On Monsieur's Departure, Elizabeth I
Beibl William Morgan, William Morgan
✔️ Othello, William Shakespeare

Episode 4: To Kill a King (Civil war, Commonwealth & Restoration)
✔️ Paradise Lost, John Milton
Micrographia, Robert Hooke
✔️ The Rover, Aphra Behn

Episode 5: Consumers & Conscience (18th century)
A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift
✔️ A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
A Man's a Man for all that, Robert Burns
✔️ Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
The Interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah Equiano

Episode 6: The Rise of Cities (The industrial Revolution)
Rural Rides, William Cobbett
✔️ North & South, Elizabeth Gaskell
✔️ The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde

Episode 7: Wars and Peace (early 20th century)
✔️ Easter, 1916, WB Yeats

Episode 8: Brilliant Isles (post war to current)
A taste of honey, Shelagh Delaney
Going Going, Philip Larkin
✔️ The Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureshi
✔️ Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
✔️ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling

12. BingoDog

Hoping that BingoDog doesn't cause the black dog to descend. Hoping, instead, it reflects a blackout at the end!

1. A place you've never been
2. Either "Library" or "Thing" in title
3. Writing about writers
4. Oldest book in your TBR
5. A holiday in title
6. A long title (5+ words)
7. Features adoption/foster care/nontraditional family
8. Medical topic
9. The sun on cover/in title
10. Child as a main character
11. Newly in public domain
12.Author has your or relative’s 1st or last name
13. Read a CAT
14. Totally random
15. Features a birth
16. Nonhuman narrator
17. Features winged creature(s)
18. A profession in title
19. Travel
20. Recommended by a friend or LT member
21. Set in your favorite season
22. Originally published in a language not your own
23. Hollywood!
24. A piece of furniture on the cover
25. Features fire

I like your books as a theme! Your selections are very appropriate for your categories. I hope you enjoy your 2025 reading!

Good luck with your challenge! I wish you great reading and happiness for 2025.

Great themes. Good reading in 2025.

I love the way you've matched books to your categories. What a great idea. Looking forward to your reading.

Great set-up, Helen. Looking forward to another year of following along!

Great theme! Good luck with your 2025 reading!

Great job matching covers to categories. I bet you spent a lot of time preparing this.

That’s a very imaginative theme, Helen. Happy reading!

I enjoyed looking at the book covers you included! Happy New Thread.

Love the theme! You matched books and categories so well!

Happy reading! Looking forward to seeing what pops up in your Translation category.

Happy reading in 2025!

Thanks all. I'll pick up this thread as of the beginning of January, see you there.

I love your categories, Helen! See you in January :-)

Looking forward to following along, in 2025.

Happy reading in 2025! You seem like a very well-organized person and I hope you reach all your goals.

Dropping a star so I follow along.

Great categories and reading goals! Happy reading in the year to come!