Reading Review: February 2019

Welcome to my Monthly Reading Review.
This post is my attempt to keep track of how I’m doing with my reading challenges and resolutions.

BOOKS I’VE READ

          

Taken at the Flood (Poirot #28) by Agatha Christie

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

Total Library Books Read This Month: 4
Total Own Books Read This Month: 0
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 4

Total Library Books Read 2018: 6
Total Own Books Read 2018: 2
Overall Total Books Read 2018: 8

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden. Perfect conclusion to a wonderful trilogy. As soon as I’d finished it I wanted to jump right back in at the beginning of the series. So good!

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 5 books read. So far I’ve read:

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Poirot #35) by Agatha Christie
The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Taken at the Flood (Poirot #28) by Agatha Christie

This year I’m having a go a something a little different – Beat the Backlist Bingo. I have no idea how many of these boxes I’ll manage to tick but it’s a little extra to add to my challenge.

Book with under 1000 Ratings on GoodReads – 830 for The Stranger Diaries at time of Completion.

Part of a trilogy – The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

New-to-me Author – Kate Mascarenhas with The Psychology of Time Travel

Cover with your Favourite Colour – Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie

GOODREADS

So far this year I’ve managed to read 8 books.

GOALS

• I haven’t managed to read any of my own books this month. That’s mainly because a huge pile of library requests arrived around the same time and as other people are waiting for them too I have to read them first.
• I’ve kept up with reviews so far.
• I still haven’t tried an audio book, although I keep looking at the library catalogue and there are several I would like to try. I just need to clear a few of the real book from my library pile first.

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So concludes February’s Reading Review. See you again next month

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Reading Review: January 2019

Welcome to my Monthly Reading Review.
This post is my attempt to keep track of how I’m doing with my reading challenges and resolutions.

BOOKS I’VE READ

              

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Poirot #35) by Agatha Christie

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Total Library Books Read This Month:  2
Total Own Books Read This Month:  2
Overall Total Books Read This Month:  4

Total Library Books Read 2018:  2
Total Own Books Read 2018:  2
Overall Total Books Read 2018:  4

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

It was a close run thing between The Stranger Diaries and The Girl in the Tower but in the end it had to be The Girl in the Tower. I loved almost everything about this book, and I cannot wait to delve straight back into the world of Vasya and Morozko in the final instalment of the trilogy. I really hope the library has copies in stock quickly.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 4 books read. So far I’ve read:

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Poirot #35) by Agatha Christie
The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

This year I’m having a go a something a little different – Beat the Backlist Bingo. I have no idea how many of these boxes I’ll manage to tick but it’s a little extra to add to my challenge.

Book with under 1000 Ratings on GoodReads – 830 for The Stranger Diaries at time of Completion.

Part of a trilogy – The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

New-to-me Author – Kate Mascarenhas with The Psychology of Time Travel

GOODREADS

My target for 2019 is initially 20 books. This seems to be my usual starting point. I’ve kept it low because I love long books, and don’t want to feel that I need to rush my reading to meet a target – I like to take my time and enjoy my books. That said, this month I managed to read 4 books, which is quite a lot for me!

GOALS

• I’m off to a good start in that I actually managed to read two of my own books this month. I’ve said I want to read owned books before and never managed to do it because I have so many library books.
• I took part in my first read-a-thon of the year, Bout of Books, and am always on the lookout for another reading event to participate in.
• Sci-fi and Fantasy featured in my reading choices this month, so I’m indulging my enjoyment of those genres, and M. Poirot also made an appearance, so I’m still enjoying Agatha Christie novels.
• I’ve (mostly) kept up with reviews so far, which is quite good as I’ve read more this month than I usually do.
• Haven’t managed to try out an audio book yet, but I have looked at my library’s collection and there are a few potential selections on there, so I really will try and get around to it soon.

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So concludes January’s Reading Review. See you again next month

Bout of Books 24 (January 2019) Goals and Daily Progress Updates

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 24 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.- From the Bout of Books team

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What better way to get into a new year of reading than with a good Bout of Books. I really enjoy taking part in this read-a-thon, and keeping track of my reading progress over the week. I’ll be using this blog for my updates during the read-a-thon.

Time Devoted to Reading

I always go for half an hour per day, but that’s hopefully just a starting point. I’d really like to read more if possible.

My Goals

• To start The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
• Keep track of my reading progress via daily blog updates
• Visit other blogs and comment regularly

Books to Read

• The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
• ??

Updates

Monday

First day and I’m excited to get reading.  When I picked The Stranger Diaries up from the library I was intrigued from the moment I glanced at the first page, so I’m certainly looking forward to getting into the story properly.

Tuesday (Monday’s Progress)

The Stranger Diaries is off to a great start.  It hooked me from the very beginning with the gothic tone followed by the modern day setting and I can’t wait to see where this story is going.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  50
Total number of pages I’ve read:  50

Wednesday (Tuesday’s progress)

I can’t remember the last time I managed to read 100 pages in one day, but it’s happened, so that must be a sign of how good this book is!

Number of pages I’ve read today:  100
Total number of pages I’ve read:  150

Thursday (Wednesday’s progress)

Another great day of reading.  I’m getting to that stage now where I’m enjoying the book so much that I don’t want to put it down, but I don’t want it to end either!  I do think tomorrow might be the day though, then I’ll have to find something new to read.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  106
Total number of pages I’ve read:  256

Friday (Thursday’s progress)

I finished The Stranger Diaries.  It was really good, and for once I actually picked out the killer.  That’s definitely a first for me, I’m usually wrong.  So, what to read next… I’m off to the TBR mountain to pick out a new book!

Number of pages I’ve read today:  154
Total number of pages I’ve read:  410

Saturday (Friday’s progress)

Nothing to report today.  I haven’t managed to read anything at all.  Here’s hoping the next days have more reading in them!

Number of pages I’ve read today:  0
Total number of pages I’ve read:  410

Sunday (Saturday’s progress)

And, for my next read I chose… The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas.
Sometimes time travel can be a by hit and miss for me, but I’ve seen a lot of positive comments about this book, and so far i’m intrigued.  It will certainly keep me busy for the final day of the read-a-thon!

Number of pages I’ve read today:  50
Total number of pages I’ve read:  460

Monday (Sunday’s progress and final thoughts)

Final Summary posted HERE.

 

Reading Resolutions 2019

Welcome to my 2019 Reading Resolutions post.

It’s become something of a little tradition on my blog to set out a few general reading hopes and goals for the coming year. Nothing too rigid, my Resolutions are general ideas and reminders about reading events and books I’d like to read soon.

As always I will participate in the Goodreads Challenge, setting myself a fairly low target. I enjoy keeping track of my reads and this challenge allows me to do that.
Beat the Backlist will also be making another appearance, to encourage me to stop neglecting books that have been on my TBR list for a while but never made it to the top.

General Goals

• I want to try and give some attention to books I already own by reading at least one of my own books, either e-book or real book per month.
• To participate in reading events and readathons and keep my blog regularly updated with progress. In particular I’m looking out for Bout of Books and Reader’s Imbibing Peril. I’d also like to find more readathon events to participate in.
• To read a variety of genres, but to carry on indulging my love of Fantasy/Dystopia/Post Apocalypse stories. I’d really like to read more Fantasy than I managed last year.
• Continue reading Agatha Christie, particularly the Poirot series.
• To try and some more Sci-Fi titles to enjoy as it’s a genre I’ve not really touched on so far.
• Continue my Harry Potter re-read
• Maybe try another audio book. Specifically, try one audio book per month, assuming I enjoy my first experience.
• To continue my monthly update posts to record how I’m doing in keeping up with my challenges.

Reading Challenges:

The Beat the Backlist Challenge

Goodreads

I want to read 20 books during the year

Possible Books to Read:

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Any Agatha Christie titles
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Different Seasons by Stephen King
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott and Sasha Laika
Gilded Cage by Vic James
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst
Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes
Misery by Stephen King
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Remnant by Charlie Fletcher

 

Beat The Backlist 2019

Overview

The Beat the Backlist Challenge is hosted over at NovelKnight, where you can find all the info you need to take part, but here’s a brief intro…

Welcome to Beat the Backlist (the 2019 edition)! This reading challenge is all about knocking off those older books from your to-read list. Any genre, any format, any length. Whether you’re a casual reader looking to work on your TBR list, or a competitive reader seeking a bit of extra motivation this year, Beat the Backlist is for you.

YOU set your own reading goal. YOU pick the books. YOU read at your own pace.

Guidelines

The book must have been published in 2018 or earlier to count. It can be in any format (including an ARC/eARC) as long as the release date is earlier than 2019.

You have to start and finish the book in 2019 to count it. Any books started in 2018 and finished in 2019 do not count. Any books started in 2019 and finish in 2020 also do not count.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019
(your local time)

Potential Reads

2019 marks my third time participating in Beat the Backlist. I’ll set an initial target of 10, but hopefully will be able to manage more. My TBR pile is HUGE so there will be no shortage of books to choose from!  Here is just a short selection…

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Any Agatha Christie titles
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Different Seasons by Stephen King
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott and Sasha Laika
Gilded Cage by Vic James
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst
Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes
Misery by Stephen King
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Remnant by Charlie Fletcher

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Monthly Progress

January

            

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Poirot #35) by Agatha Christie
The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Beat The Backlist Bingo

This year I’m having a go a something a little different – Beat the Backlist Bingo. I have no idea how many of these boxes I’ll manage to tick but it’s a little extra to add to my challenge.

Book with under 1000 Ratings on GoodReads – 830 for The Stranger Diaries at time of Completion.

Part of a trilogy – The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

New-to-me Author – Kate Mascarenhas with The Psychology of Time Travel

 

 

 

Reading Review: December 2018

Welcome to my Monthly Reading Review.

This post is my attempt to keep track of how I’m doing with my reading challenges and resolutions.

BOOKS I’VE READ

            

The Corset by Laura Purcell

Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey

The Lingering by SJI Holliday

The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan

Total Library Books Read This Month: 4
Total Own Books Read This Month: 0
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 4

Total Library Books Read 2018: 42
Total Own Books Read 2018: 0
Overall Total Books Read 2018: 42

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey. As I got further into this book I found it almost impossible to put down. I just had to know how it was going to end, having experienced so many twists and unexpected happenings. Also, how could you resist a book with a talking, cartoon-ish fox as a character?! I can’t wait to see what Carey writes next.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is 14 books read.  I’ve read:

The Watcher by Ross Armstrong
The Christmas Secret by Karen Swan
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Year One by Nora Roberts
A Gathering of Shadows by V. E Schwab
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

GOODREADS

My grand total for 2018 is 42 books read, which is probably more than I was expecting!

GOALS

• I think I managed to keep up with many of my goals, and now it’s time to think about a new list. I like the idea of some general ideas rather than committing to a number of challenges, although I’ll probably stick with the old favourites.

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So concludes December’s Reading Review. See you again next month

Reading Review: November 2018

Welcome to my Monthly Reading Review.

This post is my attempt to keep track of how I’m doing with my reading challenges and resolutions.

BOOKS I’VE READ

            

A House of Ghosts by W. C. Ryan

Adrift by Rob Boffard

Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness

Total Library Books Read This Month: 3
Total Own Books Read This Month: 0
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 3

Total Library Books Read 2018: 38
Total Own Books Read 2018: 0
Overall Total Books Read 2018: 38

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Adrift by Rob Boffard. It’s my first foray into sci-fi for ages (or possibly ever) and I really enjoyed it. Adrift tells the story of a group of survivors who witness the destruction of their station from a touring vessel. It’s tense and exciting with a great cast of characters.
I’ll definitely be looking out for similar books in future.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is 14 books read.  I’ve read:

The Watcher by Ross Armstrong
The Christmas Secret by Karen Swan
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Year One by Nora Roberts
A Gathering of Shadows by V. E Schwab
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

GOODREADS

My current total for the year so far is 38 books. Do you think I might make at least 40 by the end of the year?!

GOALS

• I’m keeping up with reviews
• And I guess it might be time to start thinking about goals and challenges for next year. I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by.

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So concludes November’s Reading Review. See you again next month