Reading Review: August 2017

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 Novice by Trudi Canavan

The Dry by Jane Harper

Darien by C. F. Iggulden

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

Total Library Books Read 2017: 19
Total Own Books Read 2017: 3
Overall Total Books Read 2017: 22

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Novice by Trudi Canavan. That was a huge book, and I thought it would take me a while to read, but I found myself flying through it and managed to read it in about a week because I always had to find time for ‘just one more chapter’. Hopefully next month I’ll get around to reading the final book in the Black Magician trilogy.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 13 books read. So far I’ve read:

Cell by Stephen King
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
The Trees by Ali Shaw
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
The Muse by Jessie Burton
North and South by John Jakes
The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
The Magicians’ Guild by Trudi Canavan
Feed by Mira Grant
The Novice by Trudi Canavan

GOODREADS

I met my target of 20 books this month, and so far I’ve completed 22 books. I know it was a low target but I was really pleased to complete the challenge. Anything I read now is a bonus, unless I decide to increase my target a little? I may have mentioned before that I’m not the fastest reader in the world, so perhaps I’ll just carry on and see what I end up with.

GOALS

I took part in the latest Bout of Books. I really enjoyed participating in the read-a-thon and even managed to write and post my review for Darien during the even, which I’ve never done before.

I’m keeping up with these monthly progress updates.

Have also managed to meet my Goodreads challenge target this month.

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

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Bout of Books 20 (August 2017) Goals and Daily Progress Updates

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 21st and runs through Sunday, August 27th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 19 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

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Talk about cutting it fine; I had no idea Bout of Books was starting next week. I’m really glad it is though, as I have some good reads lined up on my TBR pile and I can’t wait to start them. Having a read-a-thon to participate in at the same time is just an added bonus!

As always I’ll be using this blog for the majority of my updates during the read-a-thon, but you can also find me on Twitter.

Time Devoted to Reading

As much as possible.

My Goals

• Carry on reading Darien by C. F. Iggulden, and hopefully finish it
• Maybe even get my review posted on the blog
• Start reading The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams (because I’ve wanted to read it for some time now).
• Keep track of my reading progress via daily blog updates
• Visit other blogs and comment regularly

Books to Read

• Darien by C. F. Iggulden
• The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

Updates

Monday

It’s Bout of Books time again. I’m hoping to settle down with my book this afternoon so will update on the day’s progress tomorrow.
Happy reading everyone!

Tuesday (Monday’s Progress)

Had a great afternoon of reading Darien. Talk about a page turner! It’s all action at the moment, which made it really hard to put the book down. I’m really enjoying the first book of this new series and will definitely look out for the next one.
The only downside is I can’t imagine it will take me much longer to finish the book and I don’t really want it to end!

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

Wednesday (Tuesday’s progress)

Completed Darien yesterday. Can I have the next book already please?! I wonder if it will follow the same characters and their stories, or whether it will focus on another area and another set of people?
I even managed to complete my review and get it posted to the blog, here, and now I’m going to have a look at The Ninth Rain.
I’m pretty sure I saw a really thorough review of this book somewhere online which detailed the background of this new fantasy world I’m about to enter. I like having a bit of info before I start reading…

Number of pages I’ve read today:  52
Total number of pages I’ve read:  152

Thursday (Wednesday’s progress)

There’s always one day isn’t there? That day when you just don’t manage to get any reading done. Well, this was mine, so hopefully I’ll have more to report next time I check in.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  0
Total number of pages I’ve read:  152

Friday (Thursday’s progress)

Much better day for reading.
I’ve never read anything by Jen Williams before; she’s a new-to-me author, and The Ninth Rain is very good so far.
I can already tell that Vintage is going to be a new favourite character, so I really hope she makes it to the end of the book. What usually happens when I find a character I really like is they meet some awful demise before the book reaches it’s conclusion. Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen this time.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  65
Total number of pages I’ve read:  217

Saturday (Friday’s progress)

Oh dear, not the best day for reading today, but at least I did manage a (very) few pages.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  33
Total number of pages I’ve read:  250

Sunday (Saturday’s progress)

Had another good reading session and managed 100 pages; I didn’t think I’d manage that again before the end of the read-a-thon.
I wonder if I can make or pass 500 pages this time around?! I’m quite a slow reader so I’m not sure, but I’m going to try.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  100
Total number of pages I’ve read:  350

Monday (Sunday’s progress and final thoughts)

Final Summary posted HERE.

Reading Review: July 2017

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

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

The Magicians’ Guild by Trudi Canavan

Feed by Mira Grant

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

Total Library Books Read 2017: 15
Total Own Books Read 2017: 3
Overall Total Books Read 2017: 18

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling. I’m enjoying this series re-read a lot. I can understand now why people take the time to re-read books they’ve enjoyed. It’s not something I’ve done much of in the past, but I’ll certainly make time for old favourites again in the future.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 12 books read. So far I’ve read:

Cell by Stephen King
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
The Trees by Ali Shaw
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
The Muse by Jessie Burton
North and South by John Jakes
The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
The Magicians’ Guild by Trudi Canavan
Feed by Mira Grant

GOODREADS

I’ve set myself a low target for this year of 20 books. So far I’ve read 18 books.

GOALS

I’m still (mostly) keeping up with posting my reviews soon after I’ve finished the book.

I’ve also read more of my own books/backlist books than I have new/library books this month, which I think is a first and helps me with my Beat the Backlist challenge.

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

Reading Review: June 2017

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

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey

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

Total Library Books Read 2017: 14
Total Own Books Read 2017: 1
Overall Total Books Read 2017: 15

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Do I really have to pick between them? I guess I do, don’t I? Okay. The Boy on the Bridge. There, I chose. I love the world that Carey created in The Girl with all the Gifts and to have a chance to go back and experience it all over again with a new set of characters was perfect reading for me. And the ending!!! Not saying another word…

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 9 books read. So far I’ve read:

Cell by Stephen King
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
The Trees by Ali Shaw
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
The Muse by Jessie Burton
North and South by John Jakes
The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

GOODREADS

I’ve set myself a low target for this year of 20 books. So far I’ve read 15 books.

GOALS

I’ve finally started making an effort to read the books I already own, and will hopefully be adding more to my Beat the Backlist total over the next month.

I’m keeping up with most of my reviews and also my monthly reading updates.

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

Reading Review: May 2017

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 Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

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

Total Library Books Read 2017: 12
Total Own Books Read 2017: 1
Overall Total Books Read 2017: 13

MY READ OF THE MONTH

The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher is May’s Read of the Month. It was unique, with some great characters, and the talking cats just added that little something extra.
Had I started See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt earlier in the month and had it finished in May I’m sure that would have been a contender too, because the writing so far is atmospheric and beautifully eerie.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 9 books read. So far I’ve read:

Cell by Stephen King
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
The Trees by Ali Shaw
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
The Muse by Jessie Burton
North and South by John Jakes
The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

I originally set myself a target of 8 books for this challenge, so this month I’ve actually reached and surpassed that target. I’m really pleased as I usually end up neglecting older books in favour of new releases, so I didn’t know how I would do when I first signed up for the challenge. I’m going to keep going and see how many I end up with. I think for now I’ll set a new target of 10 books for the year.

GOODREADS

I’ve set myself a low target for this year of 20 books. So far I’ve read 13 books.

GOALS

I participated in Bout of Books 19, which was really good, and am on the lookout for other reading events taking place.

I reached my initial Beat the Backlist target of 8 books, so I’ve now decided to try for 10 Backlist reads this year.

I’m keeping up with most of my reviews.

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

Bout of Books 19 (May 2017) Goals and Daily Progress Updates

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 19 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

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Time for another edition of one of my favourite readathons.
Bout of Books is here once again and I cannot wait to share the next week of reading with everyone taking part in the event.

I’ll be using this blog for the majority of my updates during the read-a-thon, but you can also find me on Twitter (link in the sidebar).

Time Devoted to Reading

Half an hour per day, minimum. Maximum? Well, there’s no limit really.

My Goals

• To carry on reading The Aeronaut’s Windlass
• To maybe start a new read (but as yet I have no idea what that will be)
• To keep track of my reading progress via daily blog updates
• To visit other blogs and comment regularly

Books to Read

• The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
• ???

Updates

Monday

Bout of Books time!  I’m hoping to get some reading time in this afternoon.

Tuesday (Monday’s Progress)

Had a decent afternoon of reading and managed to get through 50 pages.  I think I’ll probably finish The Aeronaut’s Windlass before the end of the readathon, but at the moment I have NO idea what I fancy reading next.  Hm…

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

Wednesday (Tuesday’s progress)

Not such a great reading for reading today, but at least I managed a few pages.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  10
Total number of pages I’ve read:  60

Thursday (Wednesday’s progress)

I’ve had so much to do today that I haven’t managed to read a single page.  I don’t think I’ve ever read so little during Bout of Books before!

Number of pages I’ve read today:  0
Total number of pages I’ve read:  60

Friday (Thursday’s progress)

At last, I have some reading progress to report. I finished reading The Aeronaut’s Windlass this afternoon, and really enjoyed it. Hopefully it won’t be too long before I have a review up on the blog.
And I finally settled on something new to read, based on nothing other than of all the library books I currently have checked out there is now a request on Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty, so I’d better get started on that as it will have to go back.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  65
Total number of pages I’ve read:  125

Saturday (Friday’s progress)

Another pretty slow day of reading.  At least I have the weekend to look forward to.

Number of pages I’ve read today:  0
Total number of pages I’ve read:  125

Sunday (Saturday’s progress)

Managed a lovely long reading session today, which saw me through the first 100 pages of Apple Tree Yard. I missed this when it was on tv, so have little idea what to expect as the book synopsis was pretty vague. Hopefully I’ll be able to read for a long time on the final Bout of Books day and really get into my book.
How is everyone else doing so far?

Number of pages I’ve read today:  100
Total number of pages I’ve read:  225

Monday (Sunday’s progress and final thoughts)

Final Summary posted HERE.

Reading Review: April 2017

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 Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan

Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan

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

Total Library Books Read 2017: 10
Total Own Books Read 2017: 1
Overall Total Books Read 2017: 11

My Read of the Month

How can I choose? Really? It’s an impossible task this month.   I’ve read two books, both by the same author.
The Autumn Republic was the conclusion of the Powder Mage trilogy and was a wonderful way to wrap up that series.
Sins of Empire is the start of a new series set in the same world but years later and it was also a great beginning. There’s just no choosing between them.

Beat the Backlist

My total for this challenge is currently 7 books read. So far I’ve read:

Cell by Stephen King
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
The Trees by Ali Shaw
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
The Muse by Jessie Burton
North and South by John Jakes
The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan

Goodreads

I’ve set myself a low target for this year of 20 books. So far I’ve read 11 books.

Goals

I’m sticking making a decent effort at my main reading challenge for the year, Beat the Backlist. My current total stands at 7 books read.

I’m keeping up with most of my reviews.

I’ll be taking part in the next Bout of Books, which I’m looking forward to (I love a good readathon).

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