Reading Review: January 2023

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 Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Total Loaned Books Read This Month: 0
Total Own Books Read This Month: 1
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 1

Total Loaned Books Read 2023: 0
Total Own Books Read 2023: 1
Overall Total Books Read 2023: 1

MY READ OF THE MONTH

It’s not a hard decision this month as I only managed to finish one book, which is more to do with my slow reading than the book itself, because I did really enjoy The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, especially in the latter stages when there was plenty of action and danger. I’m looking forward to picking up the rest of the trilogy throughout this year.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 1 book read.  So far I’ve read:

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  There are two cards available, 24 prompts and 52 prompts, and you can view both cards here. I’m working from both cards this year. I have no idea how many categories I’ll manage to complete but it’s a little extra to add to my challenge.  Here is a collection of covers that fulfil a prompt on either of the cards featured:

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien – First in a trilogy

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager.
I like that this is so open to interpretation based on the pictures provided, and I’ve managed to find a picture for the only book I’ve read this month, and will post an updated card at my first Challenge Check In. I’ve managed to fill the picture prompts so far with:

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien

GOODREADS

My target for 2023 is 20 books, a regular starting point for this challenge. I always set a low target as I enjoy long books so it takes a while to complete a book, and I like taking my time with a good read.
This month I’ve only managed to finish 1 book, so a target of 20 feels like it might be a little bit overly optimistic.  Hopefully I’ll read more next month.

GOALS

• My Beat the Backlist challenge has begun and the first book of the year counts towards the challenge and I’ve found a space on my Bingo card for it.
• Have also made a start on Bookforager’s Photo Prompt Book Bingo.
• I ventured into one of the genres I’d like to discover more of this year as my first read of the year was a Fantasy.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

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Reading Resolutions 2023

Welcome to my 2023 Reading Resolutions post.

It’s become something of a tradition on my blog to set out a few general reading hopes and goals for the coming year. Nothing too rigid, my Resolutions are mostly 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 returns in 2023 so I’m going to attempt the challenge once again. It encourages me to devote time to some of the many books that have been on my TBR list for far too long, and I like the added element of bingo cards to play along with.

General Goals

• My own books – I want to give attention to books I already own by reading at least one of my own books per month.
• Readathons – I hope to participate in reading events and readathons and update my blog regularly throughout. In particular I’m looking out for Reader’s Imbibing Peril. I’d also like to find more readathon events to participate in, and know there are such as Wyrd and Wonder and Sci-Fi Month.
• Genres – I’d like to continue reading a variety of genres, and in particular this year I’d like to read more Fantasy.
  I’d also like to continue exploring what I’m still calling my Under-Explored genres – Science Fiction, Crime and Historical.
• Blog Updates – Continue monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress.

Particular Authors…

Read at least one book by any of the following – Agatha Christie, Chris Carter, Stephen King, Blake Crouch, Donna Tartt, Laura Purcell.

Series…

The Dark Tower series- I want to resume my series re-read. The next book for me is Wolves of the Calla, after which I’d like to carry on and read the rest.

The Robert Hunter series – The Night Stalker, the third book in the series by Chris Carter, is next up if I continue to read the series in order, which I think I will.

The Poirot series – I read a couple of Agatha Christie books over the last year, but haven’t returned to reading the Poirot series, so I’d like to get back to reading about this detective and his adventures.

Reading Challenges:

The Beat the Backlist Challenge including Beat the Backlist Bingo

Bookforager Picture Prompt Book Bingo

Goodreads

I’d like to read 20 books during the year

Possible Books to Read:

I created a list of potential reads for the year which I’ve included in my Beat the Backlist sign up post so I’ll post that here too…

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
The Robert Hunter series by Chris Carter
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Dark Matter or Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Poirot series by Agatha Christie

There are many more books that I would like to include in my Backlist challenge but don’t want to make this list too exhaustive.

Beat The Backlist 2023

Overview

A new year, a new TBR pile, and a new set of readers tackling their backlist!

Welcome to Beat the Backlist (the 2023 edition)!
The Beat the Backlist reading challenge is designed to help you tackle all the books you keep meaning to read and still haven’t. Head over to AustineDecker.com for full details.

Guidelines

The guidelines are simple:

The book must be published in the previous year or earlier (for the 2023 challenge, anything published in 2022 or earlier counts).

You have to start and finish the book in 2023.

And that’s it!

The challenge runs from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023

Any format, any genre.

Re-reads count, and you don’t have to own the book.

It’s open for the entire year so you can join in at any time.

BEAT THE BACKLIST BINGO

Bingo is back! I enjoyed this last year, and for 2023 Bingo is back, with new cards packed full of reading prompts. This year, there are two bingo cards available. You can find both at AustineDecker.com.
Bingo is an additional element to the challenge and finding books to meet each category is fun. I’m attempting both the 24 and 52 prompt cards and so have included both in my challenge post for reference. I doubt I’ll manage to read 52 books over the whole year, but I’d like to see how many prompts I can complete.

Potential Reads

2023 marks my seventh time participating in Beat the Backlist. As I did last year, I’ll set an initial target of 10 books to read, but hopefully will manage more. My TBR pile is still HUGE so there’s no shortage of books to choose from! Here is a short selection of potential reads for this challenge…

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
The Robert Hunter series by Chris Carter
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Dark Matter or Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Poirot series by Agatha Christie

There are so many more books I could have mentioned, so I look forward to seeing how many books I manage to read for Beat the Backlist.

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Monthly Progress

January

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of 24 and 52 prompts.  Here is a collection of covers that fulfil a prompt on either of the lists featured:

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien – First in a trilogy

Reading Review: December 2022

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

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

The Night Crossing by Robert Masello

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Total Loaned Books Read This Month:  2
Total Own Books Read This Month:  1
Overall Total Books Read This Month:  3

Total Loaned Books Read 2022:  16
Total Own Books Read 2022:  14
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  30

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters was a great book to end this year of reading with.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is 24 books read.  I’ve read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Billy Summers by Stephen King
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Witch by Finbar Hawkins
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The Night Crossing by Robert Masello
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  While my main focus is the 24-prompt card I may choose a few from the 52-prompt list as well (both cards can be viewed here).
I recently posted updated versions of each of the cards for my progress from January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In posts.
Here is a collection of covers that fulfill a prompt on either of the cards featured:

 

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – A book about siblings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw – Novella
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante – One word title
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King – Your favourite trope on the page
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie – Murder, mystery – or both!
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – New-to-you author
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Discovered via social media
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas – Indie or self published
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie – You watched the show or movie first
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie – Forgotten on your shelf or eReader
The Hollows by Mark Edwards – a book set in the season you read it in
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell – title is an alliteration
Billy Summers by Stephen King – superheroes/villains OR character in disguise
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter – a book in a genre you never/rarely read
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers – set in space OR on/in the ocean
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard – a book about books
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter – everyone has read it but you
Witch by Finbar Hawkins – Debut novel
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter – First in a series you’ve been putting off
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter – Second or fourth book in a series
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman – Involves family secrets
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury – Classic novel
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters – protagonist has a profession that twists the truth

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. I’ve managed to make more progress for my final update on this card, and in the end I’ve done better than I thought I thought I would as I’ve added another three books to the card. An updated final version of my progress is over at my latest Challenge Check-In post. I have managed to fill the picture prompts with:

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Night Crossing by Robert Masello
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

You can view a recent update of my progress on this bingo card over at my Challenge Check-In post.

Challenge Check-In

January to March 2022

April to June 2022

July to September 2022

October to December 2022

GOODREADS

I’ve read 30 books so this year.

GOALS

• I’ve done quite well with reading books I already own and backlist titles, but this month I also enjoyed a recent release.
• I added books to my Beat the Backlist challenge and updated my bingo card and also managed to add more to my Bookforager bingo card.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Challenge Check-In: October to December 2022

Welcome to Challenge Check-In.
This post is an attempt to keep track of my reading challenges and bingo cards.

Welcome to my fourth and final Challenge Check-In of 2022 (the first, second, and third are here, here, and here). This year I attempted a couple of reading challenges which feature bingo cards, so I decided to create a check-in style post to post updated versions of each card and see how I progressed with my challenges. I’ve managed to add more books to each of my bingo cards since my last update. So, here’s how my reading challenges and bingo cards have ended up as 2022 comes to an end…

First, a quick glance at my total number of books read this year.

Total Loaned Books Read 2022: 16
Total Own Books Read 2022: 14
Overall Total Books Read 2022: 30

MY BOOK OF THE CHECK-IN

I’m going with the first book that came to mind for my final Book of the Check-In and that’s What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author but I doubt it will be the last. It is a relatively short story and a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. It’s creepy, mysterious, with a vivid setting and some great characters. I had a great time reading it, even when things started to get a bit, well, gross (can‘t really think of a more fitting word, but don‘t be put off, it‘s such a good story).

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is 24 books read.  I’ve read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King
Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Billy Summers by Stephen King
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Witch by Finbar Hawkins
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The Night Crossing by Robert Masello
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  My original idea was to make the 24-prompt card my main focus, but in the end I managed more than I first expected on the 52-prompt card.  Here are updated versions of both cards showing my final progress update of the challenge (both original cards can be viewed here) and a collection of covers that fulfil a prompt on either of the cards featured:

 
 
   

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – A book about siblings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw – Novella
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante – One word title
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King – Your favourite trope on the page
Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie – Murder, mystery – or both!
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – New-to-you author
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Discovered via social media
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas – Indie or self published
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie – You watched the show or movie first
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie – Forgotten on your shelf or eReader
The Hollows by Mark Edwards – a book set in the season you read it in (for example, reading a book primarily set in winter during the winter season)
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell – title is an alliteration (the title features at least 2 words starting with the same letter back to back)
Billy Summers by Stephen King – superheroes/villains OR character in disguise (a story about superheroes/villains or one that features a character in disguise)
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter – a book in a genre you never/rarely read
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers – set in space OR on/in the ocean
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard – a book about books
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter – everyone has read it but you
Witch by Finbar Hawkins – Debut novel
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter – First in a series you’ve been putting off
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter – Second or fourth book in a series
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman – involves family secrets
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury – Classic novel

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager, where you can also view the original bingo card.  I like that this challenge is so open to interpretation based on the pictures provided. In my final update for this challenge I’m happy to report that I made a little more progress and managed to fill in a few more of the prompts. Here’s my last progress update and a list of the titles I’ve used:

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Night Crossing by Robert Masello
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

GOODREADS

I’ve read 30 books so far this year.

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So concludes my final Challenge Check-In of 2022.

Reading Review: November 2022

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

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Total Loaned Books Read This Month:  1
Total Own Books Read This Month:  1
Overall Total Books Read This Month:  2

Total Loaned Books Read 2022:  14
Total Own Books Read 2022:  13
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  27

MY READ OF THE MONTH

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I loved it. I definitely want to read more, and I didn’t want this one to end. It’s a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher and it was eerie, mysterious, and full of horrors towards the end. I loved the setting, the characters, the writing; there’s no way this one wasn’t going to be my Read of the Month.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 22 books read.  So far I’ve read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Billy Summers by Stephen King
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Witch by Finbar Hawkins
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  While my main focus is the 24-prompt card I may choose a few from the 52-prompt list as well (both cards can be viewed here).
I recently posted updated versions of each of the cards for my progress from January to March, April to June, and July to September, which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In posts.
Here is a collection of covers that fulfill a prompt on either of the cards featured:

 

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – A book about siblings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw – Novella
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante – One word title
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King – Your favourite trope on the page
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie – Murder, mystery – or both!
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – New-to-you author
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Discovered via social media
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas – Indie or self published
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie – You watched the show or movie first
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie – Forgotten on your shelf or eReader
The Hollows by Mark Edwards – a book set in the season you read it in
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell – title is an alliteration
Billy Summers by Stephen King – superheroes/villains OR character in disguise
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter – a book in a genre you never/rarely read
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers – set in space OR on/in the ocean
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard – a book about books
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter – everyone has read it but you
Witch by Finbar Hawkins – Debut novel
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter – First in a series you’ve been putting off
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter – Second or fourth book in a series
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman – Involves family secrets
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury – Classic novel

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. Unfortunately I have no progress to report on this card for this month but I have recently posted an updated version of my progress so far over at my latest Challenge Check-In post. I have managed to fill 10 of the picture prompts so far with:

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter

You can view a recent update of my progress on this bingo card over at my Challenge Check-In post.

Challenge Check-In

January to March 2022

April to June 2022

July to September 2022

GOODREADS

I’ve read 27 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I’m still progressing through a number of backlist books, but this month I also enjoyed a recent release.
• Discovered a new-to-me author in T. Kingfisher.
• I added another book to my Beat the Backlist challenge and updated my bingo card.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Reading Review: October 2022

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 Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter

The Wehrwolf by Alma Katsu

Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman

Total Loaned Books Read This Month:  1
Total Own Books Read This Month:  2
Overall Total Books Read This Month:  3

Total Loaned Books Read 2022:  13
Total Own Books Read 2022:  12
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  25

MY READ OF THE MONTH

There’s something of a theme forming in my ‘Read of the Month’ section at present and they’re all books from the Robert Hunter series.  This month its’s The Executioner that I must give a mention to.  I really hope this series stays as good as it’s been so far.  Sometimes I can’t wait to pick up the next in the series, then I want to hold on for a while to make my series-read last longer.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 21 books read.  So far I’ve read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Billy Summers by Stephen King
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Witch by Finbar Hawkins
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  While my main focus is the 24-prompt card I may choose a few from the 52-prompt list as well (both cards can be viewed here).
I recently posted updated versions of each of the cards for my progress from January to March, April to June, and July to September, which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In posts.
Here is a collection of covers that fulfill a prompt on either of the cards featured:

 

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – A book about siblings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw – Novella
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante – One word title
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King – Your favourite trope on the page
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie – Murder, mystery – or both!
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – New-to-you author
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Discovered via social media
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas – Indie or self published
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie – You watched the show or movie first
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie – Forgotten on your shelf or eReader
The Hollows by Mark Edwards – a book set in the season you read it in
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell – title is an alliteration
Billy Summers by Stephen King – superheroes/villains OR character in disguise
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter – a book in a genre you never/rarely read
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers – set in space OR on/in the ocean
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard – a book about books
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter – everyone has read it but you
Witch by Finbar Hawkins – Debut novel
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter – First in a series you’ve been putting off
The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter – Second or fourth book in a series
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman – Involves family secrets

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. Unfortunately I have no progress to report on this card for this month but I have recently posted an updated version of my progress so far over at my latest Challenge Check-In post. I have managed to fill 10 of the picture prompts so far with:

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter

You can view a recent update of my progress on this bingo card over at my Challenge Check-In post.

Challenge Check-In

January to March 2022

April to June 2022

July to September 2022

GOODREADS

I’ve read 25 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I’m still progressing through a number of books from my backlist, although this month I read a recent title as well.
• I’ve enjoyed #RIPXVII.
• I added books to my Beat the Backlist challenge this month and updated my bingo card.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Reading Review: September 2022

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

Witch by Finbar Hawkins

The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter

The Night Whispers (Slayton Thrillers #2) by Caroline Mitchell

Total Loaned Books Read This Month:  2
Total Own Books Read This Month:  1
Overall Total Books Read This Month:  3

Total Loaned Books Read 2022:  12
Total Own Books Read 2022:  10
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  22

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Last month’s Read of the Month was a book from the Robert Hunter series and this month it’s another book from the same series. The Crucifix Killer is the first book in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the other two I’ve read so far. I’m surprised I’ve not come across the series before now, but at least that means there are plenty of books still to pick up. I’m also surprised how much I’m enjoying something so gruesome because this book definitely has its moments, but I still found it hard to put down.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 19 books read.  So far I’ve read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Billy Summers by Stephen King
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Witch by Finbar Hawkins
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  While my main focus is the 24-prompt card I may choose a few from the 52-prompt list as well (both cards can be viewed here).
I recently posted updated versions of each of the cards for my progress from January to March, April to June, and July to September, which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In posts.
Here is a collection of covers that fulfill a prompt on either of the cards featured:

 

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – A book about siblings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw – Novella
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante – One word title
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King – Your favourite trope on the page
Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie – Murder, mystery – or both!
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – New-to-you author
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Discovered via social media
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas – Indie or self published
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie – You watched the show or movie first
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie – Forgotten on your shelf or eReader
The Hollows by Mark Edwards – a book set in the season you read it in
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell – title is an alliteration
Billy Summers by Stephen King – superheroes/villains OR character in disguise
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter – a book in a genre you never/rarely read
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers – set in space OR on/in the ocean
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard – a book about books
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter – everyone has read it but you
Witch by Finbar Hawkins – Debut novel
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter – First in a series you’ve been putting off

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. Unfortunately I have no progress to report on this card for this month but I have recently posted an updated version of my progress so far over at my latest Challenge Check-In post. I have managed to fill 10 of the picture prompts so far with:

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter

You can view a recent update of my progress on this bingo card over at my Challenge Check-In post.

Challenge Check-In

January to March 2022

April to June 2022

July to September 2022

GOODREADS

I’ve read 22 books so far this year so I‘ve managed to meet the target of 20 books I originally set for myself. Now it’s a matter of how many more I’ll be able to add over the next few months.

GOALS

• I’m still progressing through a number of books from my backlist, although this month I added in a more recent title as well.
• I’ve made a good start on #RIPXVII and am already thinking about books I’d like to read next month.
• I added books to my Beat the Backlist challenge this month and updated my bingo card.
• I posted a new Challenge Check-In, with the latest versions of the bingo cards for each challenge I’m attempting this year.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Challenge Check-In: July to September 2022

Welcome to Challenge Check-In.
This post is an attempt to keep track of my reading challenges and bingo cards.

Welcome to my third Challenge Check-In (the first and second are here and here). This year I’m attempting a couple of reading challenges which feature bingo cards, so I decided to create a check-in style post to post updated versions of each card and see how I’m getting on with my challenges. I’ve certainly managed to add a few books to each of my bingo cards since my last update. So, here’s how my reading challenges are progressing so far this year…

First, a quick glance at my total number of books read this year.

Total Loaned Books Read 2022: 12
Total Own Books Read 2022: 10
Overall Total Books Read 2022: 22

MY BOOK OF THE CHECK-IN

Choosing my book of the check-in is as difficult as ever, and I’ve still not managed to narrow it down to a single book.
Instead, I want to give a mention to Billy Summers by Stephen King, which I really enjoyed, but I’m giving Book of the Check-In to…

…the duo that is An Evil Mind and Hunting Evil by Chris Carter. You can’t really read one without the other as both tell the story of Robert Hunter and his encounters with one of the most evil characters I’ve come across in my recent reading. These books are tense, gruesome, and exciting, and a great change from my usual reading choices, and they’ve left me wanting to read the rest of the Robert Hunter series.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 19 books read.  So far I’ve read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King
Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Billy Summers by Stephen King
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
Witch by Finbar Hawkins
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts.  My original idea was to make the 24-prompt card my main focus, but, for now at least, I seem to be doing better with the variety of the 52-prompt card.  Here are updated versions of both cards showing my progress so far (both original cards can be viewed here) and a collection of covers that fulfil a prompt on either of the cards featured:

 
 
   

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – A book about siblings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw – Novella
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante – One word title
The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King – Your favourite trope on the page
Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie – Murder, mystery – or both!
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – New-to-you author
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Discovered via social media
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas – Indie or self published
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie – You watched the show or movie first
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie – Forgotten on your shelf or eReader
The Hollows by Mark Edwards – a book set in the season you read it in (for example, reading a book primarily set in winter during the winter season)
The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell – title is an alliteration (the title features at least 2 words starting with the same letter back to back)
Billy Summers by Stephen King – superheroes/villains OR character in disguise (a story about superheroes/villains or one that features a character in disguise)
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter – a book in a genre you never/rarely read
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers – set in space OR on/in the ocean
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard – a book about books
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter – everyone has read it but you
Witch by Finbar Hawkins – Debut novel
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter – First in a series you’ve been putting off

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager, where you can also view the original bingo card. I like that this challenge is so open to interpretation based on the pictures provided. I’m still making slow progress with this one but I have managed to add a couple more since my last update. Here’s my progress so far and a list of the titles I’ve used:

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
The Hollows by Mark Edwards
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
Hunting Evil (Robert Hunter #10) by Chris Carter
An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

GOODREADS

I’ve read 22 books so far this year.

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So concludes my third Challenge Check-In of 2022. See you again soon.

Readers Imbibing Peril XVII – #RIPXVII

The days are growing cooler and the nights are beginning to draw in, which can mean only one thing – Autumn is on its way! I love this time of year, so what better way to mark the changing seasons than by participating in a suitably eerie Readathon? Two whole months of reading to enjoy. Want to know more about RIPXVII? Here you go…

Welcome to the SEVENTEENTH year of Readers Imbibing Peril, or RIP, as it is affectionately called. The challenge runs from 1st September to 31st October. There are Twitter and Instagram accounts where you can find out more about the various ‘perils’ on offer, and whilst participating you can use the hastag #RIPXVII.

The R.I.P. Reading Event includes books/movies/shows/podcasts that could be classified as:

Mystery
Suspense
Thriller
Dark Fantasy
Gothic
Horror
Supernatural

The goals are simple.

1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.

The Perils

This year multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.  You can find out more about all the events on offer by visiting the Twitter and Instagram accounts linked above, and also over at Readers Imbibing Peril.
I’ll be attempting:

Peril of the Fiction Read: 

Read one (or more!) fiction books that you feel fit (our very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature.

This is the one I usually participate in, reading as much as I can from any of the categories mentioned above, and anything else that catches my eye during the event.

Peril of the Screen: 

This is for those who like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious or gothic fare. It may be a television show, or your favorite film.

I don’t have a definite reading/viewing plan at the moment, so this year I’m not posting a potential TBR list, I’m going where the reading mood takes me. I do have a few ideas for books I might like to read throughout this event.

Progress

Peril of the Fiction Read

   

Witch by Finbar Hawkins

The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) by Chris Carter

The Night Whispers (Slayton Thrillers #2) by Caroline Mitchell

The Executioner (Robert Hunter #2) by Chris Carter

The Wehrwolf by Alma Katsu

Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) by Alice Hoffman

Peril of the Screen

I Came By
Doctor Sleep
Devil in Ohio
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
The Black Phone
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

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I’m really looking forward to one of my favourite reading events during my favourite season. Are you tempted to join in with #RIPXVII?