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

Peril of the Screen

I Came By
Doctor Sleep
Devil in Ohio
My Best Friend’s Exorcism

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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?

Reading Review: August 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

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

Total Loaned Books Read This Month:  1
Total Own Books Read This Month:  3
Overall Total Books Read This Month:  4

Total Loaned Books Read 2022:  10
Total Own Books Read 2022:  9
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  19

MY READ OF THE MONTH

An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) by Chris Carter. I couldn’t put it down. The battle of wits between a detective on loan to the FBI and a prolific serial killer who until now no one knew existed was tense and exciting. There was so much going on, so many twists and increasing stakes that I flew threw the latter half of the book. Also of note, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such an evil character as the killer in this book in my recent reading, so a very apt title as well. And, there’s a sequel, which I enjoyed just as much.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 17 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

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, and April to June, 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

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

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

GOODREADS

I’ve read 19 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I’m still making progress through my backlist books. Everything I read this month was from the backlist so…
• … I added four books to my Beat the Backlist challenge this month and managed to add each of them to my bingo cards too.
• I added four more books to the Bookforager Picture Prompt Bingo card which is the most I’ve managed in one month so far.
• I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

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

Reading Review: July 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 Hollows by Mark Edwards

The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell

Billy Summers by Stephen King

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:  9
Total Own Books Read 2022:  6
Overall Total Books Read 2022:  15

MY READ OF THE MONTH

This really is quite difficult this month as it’s been a month of great books but in the end I’m going with Billy Summers by Stephen King. I always look forward to a new Stephen King book and this didn’t disappoint. It’s a tale of two halves, the first being quite leisurely paced, the second far more action-packed, and I really liked Billy and Alice, the two main characters.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 13 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

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, and April to June, 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

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 six 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

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

GOODREADS

I’ve read 15 books so far this year.

GOALS

• I’m making progress on my backlist books. Everything I finished this month was backlist and that means…
• … I added three books to my Beat the Backlist challenge this month and managed to add to my bingo cards too.
• 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 July’s Reading Review. See you again next month.

Challenge Check-In: April to June 2022

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

Welcome to my second Challenge Check-In (the first is 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. Progress remains fairly slow but I have filled in a few more prompts since my last update, mostly 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.

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

MY BOOK OF THE CHECK-IN

Choosing my book of the check-in is as hard this time as it was last time. Yet again I’ve gone back and forth between at least two different books but after much consideration I’m choosing…

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie. I loved the atmosphere, the exotic setting, all the little mysteries tied in with the main murder mystery, and of course Poirot being able to eventually sort out all the tangled threads. Can’t believe I didn’t pick this book up sooner, and even knowing the solution it’s one I would be tempted to read 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 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.  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

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:

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
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 12 books so far this year.

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

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.