Reading Review: May 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

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie

Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie

Murder by the Seaside by Cecily Gayford

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:  7
Total Own Books Read 2022:  5
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  12

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. I had such a good time reading this, and I cannot believe I waited so long to finally pick it up. I loved the exotic location, the little mysteries surrounding so many of the characters, and the characters themselves. Even knowing the outcome I would be tempted to read this again.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 10 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

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, which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In post.
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

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. I have progress to report again this month. I’ve added one more book to this card (which I’ll update at my next Challenge Check-In). I have managed to fill five 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

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

GOODREADS

I’ve read 12 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I read another book that I already own, Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie.
• I also read another Agatha Christie book. She’s one of the authors I wanted to read more of this year so I’m not doing too badly with that and I hope to fit in at least one more some time soon.
• I added two books to my Beat the Backlist challenge this month and found a bingo category for each of them.
• I added one more book to the Bookforager Picture Prompt 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 May’s Reading Review. See you again next month.

Reading Review: April 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 Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas

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:  5
Total Own Books Read 2022:  4
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  9

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas. I liked the dual-timeline, the mystery, and the atmospheric setting of this story, and also the way it kept me guessing throughout before the final revelations. I’d like to read more by Louise Douglas.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 8 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

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, which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In post.
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

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager.  I have more progress to report this month as I’ve added another book to this card (which I’ll update at my next Challenge Check-In). I’ve managed to fill four 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

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

GOODREADS

I’ve read 9 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I read another book that I already own, The Beautiful Ones.
• I added two more books to my Beat the Backlist challenge this month and managed to find a bingo category for each of them.
• I added another book to the Bookforager Picture Prompt Bingo card.
• Discovered a new-to-me author in Louise Douglas. I enjoyed The Room in the Attic and would like to read more of her books.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Reading Review: March 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 Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie

Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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:  4
Total Own Books Read 2022:  3
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  7

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett. I loved this fantasy read featuring exciting action scenes, great characters, magic, heists and high stakes. I can’t believe this one sat on my TBR list for so long but I’m glad I finally read it and I’m looking forward to the next book.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 6 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

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, which can be viewed over at my Challenge Check-In post.
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

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager.
I have progress to report at last. I’ve managed to fill three 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

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

GOODREADS

I’ve read 7 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I’ve read another of the books I already own.
• I’ve added two more books to my Beat the Backlist challenge and added them both to my bingo card.
• I added another book to the Bookforager Picture Prompt Bingo card. I thought I might have added more to this one by now so was pleased to find a place for Foundryside on there.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Challenge Check-In: January to March 2022

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

Welcome to my first Challenge Check-In. This year I’m attempting a couple of reading challenges which feature bingo cards, so I thought I’d create a check-in style post where I can post updated versions of each card to see how I’m getting on with my challenges. Progress has been fairly slow so far this year, but I’ve managed to fill a few prompts, particularly on my Beat the Backlist card. 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. As I said, slow progress, but there have been some really enjoyable books amongst my reading so I don’t mind taking my time with them.

Total Loaned Books Read 2022:  4
Total Own Books Read 2022:  3
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  7

MY BOOK OF THE CHECK-IN

As if it isn’t sometimes difficult enough for me to select my read of the month, I’ve decided I’ll also try and choose a read of the check-in! I’ve gone back and forth between at least two titles for a while on this but in the end I’m choosing…

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. It’s a tale of family, magic, and finding a place in the world. I loved the writing, the setting and the characters (and the cover), so it’s my first ‘book of the check-in’.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 6 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

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

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 off to rather a slow start with this one, so I’m hoping that by my next update I’ll have more pictures covered (although it seems a shame to cover such great pictures). Here’s my progress so far and a list of the titles I’ve used:

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

GOODREADS

I’ve read 7 books so far this year. It’s been a fairly slow start to my reading year.

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

Reading Review: Febuary 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 Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King

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 2022: 2
Total Own Books Read 2022: 2
Overall Total Books Read 2022: 4

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King. Not exactly a tough choice this month as it’s the only book that I finished. I really enjoyed the story within a story within a story, and it’s made me want to get back to my series reread as well.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 4 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

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).  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

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. Hopefully next month I’ll be posting a challenge check-in and I’ll have some progress to report. I do have a couple of squares covered so far, but am certainly looking for more.

GOODREADS

I’ve read 4 books so far this year. It’s been a month of slow reading.

GOALS

• The Dark Tower reread is underway once more, and I hope it won’t be too long before I pick up the next book in the series.
• My Beat the Backlist challenge is ongoing and even though I only managed to read one book this month it did count towards the challenge and found a place on the Bingo card too.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Reading Review: January 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 Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante

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: 2
Total Own Books Read 2022: 1
Overall Total Books Read 2022: 3

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. This was my first book of the year and my first 5 star read. I was looking forward to this after enjoying The Ten Thousand Doors of January and it didn’t disappoint. I really enjoyed this tale of three sisters trying to bring about a new age of magic. Great characters, great setting, and lovely writing.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 3 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

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).  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

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager. I like that it’s so open to interpretation based on the pictures provided, and I’m hoping that I’ll have some progress to report soon.

GOODREADS

My target for 2022 is initially 20 books, which has become a regular starting point for this challenge. I always set a low target as my love for long books means it takes a while to complete a book, and I like taking my time with a good read.
This month I’ve read 3 books, so a target of 20 feels about right.

GOALS

• My first read of the year was one of my own books, The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow.
• My Beat the Backlist challenge has begun and is off to a good start. All three of the books I read this month count towards the challenge, and I managed to find Bingo categories for each one too.
• I ventured into one of the under-explored genres mentioned in my Reading Resolutions when I picked up a crime novel.
• 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.

Reading Resolutions 2022

Welcome to my 2022 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 will also be making another appearance, to encourage me to give attention to some of the many books that have been on my TBR list for a while but never made it to the top.

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 to read more fantasy.
  I’d also like to explore more of what I’m calling my Under-Explored genres – Science Fiction, Crime and Historical.
• Particular authors…The Dark Tower Series Part 2 – I read half of this series by Stephen King last year and I’d like to carry on and read the rest.
  I’d also like to read at least one other backlist title by Stephen King. I have copies of The Talisman, Different Seasons, Christine and Misery.
  Read at least one book by any of the following – Agatha Christie, Donna Tartt, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Laura Purcell.
• Blog Updates – Continue monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress.

Reading Challenges:

The Beat the Backlist Challenge including Beat the Backlist 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
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman
Death on the Nile 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 2022

Overview

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

Welcome to Beat the Backlist (the 2022 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 2022 challenge, anything published in 2021 or earlier counts).

You have to start and finish the book in 2022.

And that’s it!

Any format, any genre.

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

It’s open for the entire year so whenever you feel like jumping in, you can!

BEAT THE BACKLIST BINGO

Bingo is back! I enjoyed this last year, and for 2022 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’ll mainly be attempting the 24-prompt card, but some of the prompts on the 52-prompt card are interesting too, so I’m adding that list to my challenge post as well, just for reference as I doubt I‘ll manage to read that many books over the whole year. My main focus will be the 24-prompt card.

Potential Reads

2022 marks my sixth 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 be able to manage more. My TBR pile is HUGE so there’s no shortage of books to choose from! Here is just a short selection of potential reads for this challenge…

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

There are so many more books I could have mentioned above, 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 Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) by Lynda La Plante

February

The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) by Stephen King

March

Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle #4) by Agatha Christie
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

April

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas

May

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie

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.  Here is a collection of covers that fulfill a prompt on either of the lists featured above:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – 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

Reading Review: December 2021

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 Noise by James Patterson and J. D. Barker

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Total Loaned Books Read This Month: 0
Total Own Books Read This Month: 2
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 2

Total Loaned Books Read 2021: 7
Total Own Books Read 2021: 17
Overall Total Books Read 2021: 24

MY READ OF THE MONTH

It’s a tie, I can’t choose between the two books I’ve read this month as I enjoyed them both very much. They’re completely different but both had me enthralled throughout and I would recommend both of them.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is 16 books.   I’ve read:

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C. J. Box
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
The Naturalist (The Naturalist #1) by Andrew Mayne
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Crooked House by Agatha Christie
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Beat the Backlist Bingo is making another appearance 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.

      

Standalone – The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

A book with illustrations – NOS4A2 by Joe Hill – There is an illustration of the Christmasland advert that first attracts Bing Partridge’s attention, and it also has Vic’s various bikes and Manx’s Wraith between paragraphs. I could also have used this for the ‘map’ prompt as there’s the United Inscapes of America map as well.

Kept you up late reading (definitely not a book you can easily put down) – The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Genre you never/rarely read (there has to be at least one genre you don’t usually pick up) – Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C. J. Box

Black and white – The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

More than one author (a book written by at least 2 authors; not an anthology) – This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Caused a major book hangover (the book was so good that you just don’t think you can start a new one just yet) – The Secret History by Donna Tartt

From your 2020 backlist TBR (a backlist book you planned to read last year… and didn’t) – Crooked House by Agatha Christie

From the 52 Prompts List…

You can find the complete prompts list here.

       

 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – Standalone

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill – A book with illustrations

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King – Kept you up late reading

Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C. J. Box – Genre you never/rarely read

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King – Author has a book releasing in 2021

The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King – Black and white

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Based on non-Greek/Roman mythology

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – It’s on a ship!

The Naturalist (The Naturalist #1) by Andrew Mayne – Book where the woods/forest are important

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – More than one author

Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King – Purple cover

The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Caused a major book hangover

Crooked House by Agatha Christie – From your 2020 backlist TBR

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison – Book you’re giving another chance

GOODREADS

I’ve read 24 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I read 16 books in total for my Beat the Backlist challenge this year, and enjoyed having a go at the Bingo categories too.
• 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.

Reading Review: November 2021

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

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Total Loaned Books Read This Month: 0
Total Own Books Read This Month: 2
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 2

Total Loaned Books Read 2021: 7
Total Own Books Read 2021: 15
Overall Total Books Read 2021: 22

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Tough choice this month, it really is. Do I really have to pick one? Okay, after much consideration I’m choosing The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. It was a joy to read, gentle, yet with plenty of intrigue that kept me turning the pages. By the time I reached the end I wanted more, I wanted to know what happened to Maia next.
I must add that I really enjoyed my ‘Salem’s Lot reread too!

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 16 books.   So far I’ve read:

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C. J. Box
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
The Naturalist (The Naturalist #1) by Andrew Mayne
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Crooked House by Agatha Christie
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Beat the Backlist Bingo is making another appearance 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.

      

Standalone – The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

A book with illustrations – NOS4A2 by Joe Hill – There is an illustration of the Christmasland advert that first attracts Bing Partridge’s attention, and it also has Vic’s various bikes and Manx’s Wraith between paragraphs. I could also have used this for the ‘map’ prompt as there’s the United Inscapes of America map as well.

Kept you up late reading (definitely not a book you can easily put down) – The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Genre you never/rarely read (there has to be at least one genre you don’t usually pick up) – Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C. J. Box

Black and white – The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

More than one author (a book written by at least 2 authors; not an anthology) – This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Caused a major book hangover (the book was so good that you just don’t think you can start a new one just yet) – The Secret History by Donna Tartt

From your 2020 backlist TBR (a backlist book you planned to read last year… and didn’t) – Crooked House by Agatha Christie

From the 52 Prompts List…

You can find the complete prompts list here.

       

 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – Standalone

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill – A book with illustrations

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King – Kept you up late reading

Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C. J. Box – Genre you never/rarely read

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King – Author has a book releasing in 2021

The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King – Black and white

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Based on non-Greek/Roman mythology

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – It’s on a ship!

The Naturalist (The Naturalist #1) by Andrew Mayne – Book where the woods/forest are important

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – More than one author

Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King – Purple cover

The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Caused a major book hangover

Crooked House by Agatha Christie – From your 2020 backlist TBR

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison – Book you’re giving another chance

GOODREADS

I’ve read 22 books so far this year. Hopefully I’ll manage to add at least another couple to this total before the end of the year.

GOALS

• I read two more Backlist books and added them to my Beat the Backlist challenge. I’ve read 16 books for the challenge so far, and I managed to find another Bingo category for one of my reads this month.
• 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.