April Wrap-up

What I read in April

Still behind with my challenge reading, but I have accepted that some books will take a longer time to read. Some books I have given up for the time being.  I read 11 books in April of which 7 came from my own shelves. Quite pleased with that. 

• A nonfiction from my TBR shelves - Bengtsson, Ingvar - Kapet av Skåne - Bergstrand, Finn - Eftertankar - Harrison, Dick - Kalmarunionen, En nordisk stormakt föds - Blom, Tomas - Dackefejden, Det stora upproret - Turned out to be four nonfiction from my shelves.
• A fiction from my TBR shelves - Burlin, Tua - Konungens sändebud
• A translated novel outside of the English- and Swedish languages - De Balzac, Honoré - The Girl With the Golden Eyes , Paasilinna, Arto - Tio rivjärn (Kymmenen rivinrauta/Ten Shrews) - Two languages; French and Finnish. 
• A classic tale - Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen - Still reading
• A book from my want to read list - Nothing for this month. Read several books from the library connected to book circles. 

• Presidentskan (La Regenta) by Leopoldo Alas Clarín (March 'women' theme challenge) Reading
• Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor (NF) Given up for the time being. Too depressing considering the war in Ukraine. 
• The History of the Siege of Lisbon (História do cerco de Lisboa) by José Saramago Reading - Reading. It is a book with small text and no air on the pages. 
• Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps, A Life of John Buchan by Ursula Buchan (March unread shelf and March 'women' theme challenge) (NF) Given up, did not like it too much. 
• The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber (thick book, reading a chapter a day) Reading
• The Tower by Uwe Tellkamp (thick book, reading a chapter a day) Reading

The theme for April was Explorers and Discoverers. I have to admit that I had no time to look into this challenge. 

What's up for May?

My own challenges (as far as possible from my own shelves).

A nonfiction from my TBR shelves - Marie Antoinette by Stefan Zweig (another very thick book)

A fiction from my TBR shelves - The Consul's Daughter by Mark Knowles (e-book)

A translated novel outside of the English- and Swedish languages - Det röda fältet (The Read Field) by Mo Yan (another thick book)

A classic tale - Fänrik Ståhls sägner (The Tales of Ensign Ståhl) by Johan Ludvig Runeberg (classic and Finnish language)

A book from my want to read list - Let's see if there will be any. 

May theme: History of Literature (learn more about authors, their work and lives)

Suitable nonfiction books from my own shelves. All are interesting biographies of famous authors.

• Baker, Carlos - Ernest Hemingway 
• Bullen, J.B. - Thomas Hardy - The World of His Novels 
• Burman, Carina - Bellman 
• Coote, Stephen - John Keats - A Life 
• Hägg, Göran - Sanningen är alltid oförskämd, En biografi över August Strindberg 
• Kylhammar, Martin - Ett hemligt liv 
• Lee, Hermione - Edith Wharton 
• Liljestrand, Jens - Mannen i skogen 
• MacEwan, Helen - Winifred Gérin: Biographer of the Brontës   
• Maugham, W. Somerset - A Writer's Notebook 
• Reynolds, Michael - Hemingway, The Paris Years 
• Turnbull, Andrew - Scott Fitzgerald 

Too many so made a random spin to choose, and it ended up on Andrew Turnbull's biography of Scott Fitzgerald.  

The Unread Shelf

May - The shortest unread book on your shelf - that sounds like a real treat. I have two rather short books so will read both of them.

The Overcoat and Other Short Stories by Nikolai Gogol (103 pages)

Kära Agnes by Håkan Nesser (160 pages)

Those are my plans for May. A few others will no doubt enter the list. I have so far read 29 books from my own shelves. A pleasing statistic for four months.