December 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

And so it’s time to conclude this year’s reading progress.
After a reasonable start to reading I don’t know what happened but the further into the year I progressed the slower my reading pace became. It picked up again in more recent weeks, but not enough to meet my Goodreads Challenge target. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen behind quite so badly before. I even lowered my target (which I don’t think I’ve done before) but still fell short. Anyway, here’s the latest…

HAIL TO THE KING

This month I read two books by Stephen King:

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and Salem’s Lot.

This takes my grand total for this challenge to 3 books (I thought I would do so much better at this one!).

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY

I read Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray.

My final total for this challenge is 14 books read.

I LOVE LIBRARY BOOKS

I’ve read another 2 library book this month, so my grand total for this challenge is 26 books.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

MOUNT TBR

I MANAGED TO READ ONE OF MY OWN BOOKS! Forgive the caps but if you’ve been following my poor attempt at this challenge you’ll realise just how much of an achievement this is. My new total is now 4 books.

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

MONTHLY KEYWORD CHALLENGE

My grand total for this challenge stands at 11 books. This month I’ve added –

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (January: Bad) (April: Dream)

which gives me a final total of 12 books read.

Goodreads

I completed 30 books out of the adjusted 35 book total I hoped to read this year.
I definitely want to do the challenge again next year, but think I might have to set myself a slightly lower target. Either that or read shorter books!

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So, for the final, time in 2015, that concludes my monthly Reading Challenge progress. You can find the condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.

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November 2015 Reading Challenge (Lack of) Progress

The further into the year we get the slower my reading progress seems to go!
Not sure what’s going on, because the books I am reading I am enjoying, it’s just that somehow I don’t seem to be able to devote massive amounts of time to my books at the moment.

I’m currently reading 3 books, but when it comes to finishing any of them, well, it just hasn’t happened this month so I don’t have any progress to report. On the plus side I’ve caught up on some reviews and will have them posted on the blog soon.

And now I’m off to read so that next month I have something to report…

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October 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

I’m back with another Reading Challenges update, not that there’s been much progress to report.
This is the first time it’s actually dawned on me just how little of the year is left and how far behind I am on some of my challenges, especially my Goodreads total (more on that below).  On some of my other challenges I’ve already reached and surpassed my original target so it all balances out I guess.  I can’t seem resist reading really long books, so perhaps I’ll have to set a lower target for next time.  Anyway, here’s the news for now…

As always each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in…

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY

This month’s read counts towards this challenge, giving me a new total of 13 books read so far.

The Paradox by Charlie Fletcher

I LOVE LIBRARY BOOKS

I’ve read another library book this month, so my new total is currently 24 books.

The Paradox by Charlie Fletcher

MOUNT TBR

My total remains at 3 books.

MONTHLY KEYWORD CHALLENGE

My grand total for this challenge stands at 11 books.

GOODREADS

I’ve currently completed 27 books out of the 40 that I aim to read this year.
Last time I logged in to goodreads and looked at my challenge progress there was a little reminder that I’m currently 5 books behind schedule. Oops! I don’t know what’s happened, but I do know there’s no way now that I’ll catch up in what remains of this reading year.
My reading progress at the moment is the slowest it’s been in I can’t remember how long. I think I need to lower my target or choose some shorter books!

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So, that concludes another month’s Reading challenge progress. You can find the condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.  See you again next month and Happy Reading

September 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

I’ve been pretty negligent towards writing a monthly entry featuring my Reading Challenge progress of late, so even though I haven’t read a massive amount of books this month (mostly due to the 700+ pages of The Falcon Throne, which I really enjoyed), I thought I’d have a go at writing an entry.  I have been keeping my main challenge posts up to date, and I’ve linked to each of those below.

As always each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in…

Flights of Fantasy

I’m doing quite well with this challenge. I wanted to read more fantasy this year and hope to read even more before the end of the year. My previous total was 11 books read so far, so my new total is 12.

The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller

I Love Library Books

The one book I completed this month was a library book, so my new total for this challenge stands at 23 books.

The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller

Mount TBR

Guess what? Another month has passed by without me making even the slightest dent in the books I already own. If nothing else, signing up for this challenge has made me a little more aware of my reading habits and for now I’ve cut down on buying books because if the book comes from the library it seems to stand a much greater chance of being read.
My current total for this challenge remains at 3 books.

Monthly Keyword Challenge

My new total for this challenge is 11 books.

The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller – (January: Bird)

Goodreads

I’ve currently completed 26 books out of the 40 that I aim to read this year.

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So, that concludes another month’s Reading challenge progress. You can find the condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.  See you again next month and Happy Reading!

June 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

Two books again! I only read and completed another two books. What’s going on? I guess this is what happens when you can’t settle to one book and therefore end up with four ‘current reads’. Nothing is finished in time for the monthly reading recap. At least there should be more to report this time next month.

As always each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in…

Flights of Fantasy

This month I added one book to my total for this challenge, making my new total 9 books read so far.

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

I Love Library Books

Both of this month’s reads count towards this challenge, giving me a new total of 14 books. Yes, I am a BIG fan of the library.

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
Disclaimer by Renée Knight

Mount TBR

My very low total for this challenge remains at only 3 books.  I’ve decided I’m going to read my current stack of library books then try to make a better effort at reading my own books.  Taking part in this challenge has made me realise just how little I tend to read books that I actually own.  Until now this has never really been something I was aware of but I’ve put myself on a temporary book buying ban as a result.  It’s going (fairly) well, with the odd book or two still fitting in here and there, but until I’ve read a few from my huge TBR pile I don’t think I should be buying too many more.

Monthly Keyword Challenge

One more book this month, so my new total is 9 books.  This one is a little unique in that I discovered it actually fits into two categories.

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris – (March: Night) Also (May: Road)

Goodreads

I’ve currently completed 18 books out of the 40 that I aim to read this year.

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And so concludes another month’s Reading challenge progress. You can find the condensed version by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates (of which there will hopefully be more in future) are listed.  See you again next month and Happy Reading!

May 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

It’s that time again, when I account for my reading progress this month and write about my Reading Challenges, and I admit it came as a bit of a shock, realising that once more I’ve only managed to complete two books this month! One of those was almost 900 pages long though, so I guess it’s not as poor as it first sounds. Maybe I should do some kind of ‘Pages Read’ challenge as I always seem drawn to such massive books.

As always each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in…

Flights of Fantasy

8 books read so far, nothing new added this month.

I Love Library Books

Both of this month’s completed reads count towards this challenge as they were both borrowed from the library, so my new total stands at 12. The books I read were:

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson

Mount TBR

3 books read so far.  I really do need to make a better effort to read some of the books I already own.

Monthly Keyword Challenge

I added one book to this challage in May, so my new grand total is 8 books.

The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson – (September: Day)

Goodreads

I’ve currently completed 16 books out of the 40 that I aim to read this year.

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So, that concludes another month’s Reading challenge progress. You can find the condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.  See you again next month and Happy Reading!

April 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

I can’t believe that we’re already approaching the end of another month. Time goes far to quickly. I feel as though I’ve read a lot this month, so was pretty shocked to go through my list and realise my ‘grand’ total actually only amounts to two books (!!!). I’m currently reading I Am Pilgrim, which is a massive book, so that’s probably why I feel I’ve read a lot more than two books. I’ll count that one with next month’s summary as I still have about a third of the book to read.

Needless to say, this month’s update will probably be a fairly short entry. As always each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in…

Flights of Fantasy

My running total so far is 8 books towards this challenge and unfortunately I haven’t added anything new this month.

I Love Library Books

Both of this month’s completed reads count towards this challenge as they were both borrowed from the library, so my new total stands at 12. The books I read were:

The Hawley Book of the Dead by Chrysler Szarlan
Paris For One by Jojo Moyes

Mount TBR

Sadly this remains one of my most neglected challenges this year so far. My total of 3 books remains the same as I still haven’t managed to read a single one of my own books (and as usual I blame the library).

Monthly Keyword Challenge

My previous total was 6 books, and I’ve added one more this month, making my new grand total 7.
I read:

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes – (March: City)

Goodreads

I’ve currently completed 14 books out of the 40 that I aim to read this year.

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So, that’s my monthly Reading challenge progress. You can find the condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.

March 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

Time for another monthly check in on my reading challenge progress.
My blog’s been slow over this month, so I was really glad to get my computer back this morning so I could at least make a start on new content, starting with this update.
Luckily, although my blog doesn’t reflect it at the moment, my reading hasn’t been that slow, and I have news… (each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in)…

Flights of Fantasy

I had previously read 4 books towards my total goal. This month I added another 4 books (March has been my month of Fantasy, it would seem!), making a new total of 8. The books I read were:

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

I Love Library Books

My previous total was 6 books; this month I read another 4 library books, taking my new total to 10.
I’m a big fan of libraries, but I don’t think until I started keeping this record I realised just how much I rely on them to feed my brilliant book addiction. I read:

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Mount TBR

Possibly related to my love for library books is the fact that at present this challenge is the one that’s suffering. My previous total was 2 books, and I’ve only added one more this month, making a total of 3. When I clear my library book pile a little I really will make a decent effort with my own TBR pile.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Monthly Keyword Challenge

Previous total was 5 books, and this month I’ve added 1 more, making 6 altogether. This is probably one of the hardest challenges I’ve undertaken so far, but it’s great fun, reading through the key words and trying to find titles that fit, or enjoying a wonderful book then scanning through the list and just hoping that there will be something you can match up to. I must admit I’m clutching at straws a little with this months addition, but surely if you’re Half a King then you’re a Prince, right?!

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie – (April:  Prince)

Goodreads

I’ve currently completed 10 books out of the 40 that I aim to read this year.

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So, that’s my monthly Reading Challenge progress. You can find the (very) condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed. I also hope to be back to a more regular blogging routine next month, so here’s to another month of good books and (hopefully) regular updates!!

February 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

Another month of progress to report on my year-long Reading Challenges. I’ve made a little progress on most of my challenges but I still wish I’d read more (Isn’t that always the case?). It’s still early in the year so there’s plenty of time to add to my lists, and I know I hoped to catch up on my reviews so that each entry would link up to the relevant review. This is still the plan (in time), so here’s hoping it will be on track next month!

Onto the challenges (each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in)…

Flights of Fantasy

My previous total for this challenge was two books.
During February I’ve added another two:

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

I Love Library Books

I’ve remained pretty consistent with the amount of library books I’m reading as I read three during January and that total is the same again this month, making a total of six so far. I’m a big fan of libraries so this is probably going to be one of the easier targets for me to meet.
This month I read:

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Mount TBR

My love of library books means this challenge has been slow going so far. I had a grand total of one book, and added another one this month. I have such good intentions to work through my TBR list, but somehow the pull of the library with all those brand new releases is to much for me to resist.
This month I read:

Very Good, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse

Monthly Keyword Challenge

My previous total stood at two books, and I’ve beaten that this month by adding another three to my challenge:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – (January : Girl)
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – (November: Rise)
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray – (October: Number)

Goodreads

At last count I’ve finished 7 of the 40 books I hope to read this year.

And these are the challenges that I’m participating in but have yet to make progress on (!!):

Hail to the King 

I still haven’t read any Stephen King yet during 2015 but I did manage to publish my Revival review, and also took the opportunity to add my new blog feature, On Reading… which I started with Revival.

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So, that’s my monthly progress for my Reading Challenges. I hope to be back next month with more to report, and you can find the (very) condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.

Here’s to another month of good books!!

January 2015 Reading Challenge Progress

This is the first year I’ve decided to undertake some year-long reading challenges, and I’m really looking forward to them.
I don’t usually have any kind of a plan when it comes to reading, and just pick up whatever I feel like at the time. The only exception to this is if a favourite author has something new coming out. Once I know the release date, I know exactly what I’ll be reading at that time.
Apart from that, I tend to go with the flow, so having some goals and aims will give my reading a little focus, which is going to be fairly new for me.
I’ve decided to keep track of my progress by making an entry about once a month devoted to my challenges and the books I’ve read. I’m playing catch up with my reviews at the moment, but hopefully in future the titles listed below will link to reviews I’ve posted.

Onto the Challenges (each challenge title is linked to my challenge sign up post, in case anything catches your eye and you fancy joining in)…

Flights of Fantasy

The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

I Love Library Books

The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher
Christmas in the Snow by Karen Swan
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

Mount TBR

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Monthly Keyword Challenge

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – (October: Number)
The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher – (December: Over)

Goodreads

I’ve currently read 4 books out of the 40 I’ve challenged myself to read this year.

And these are the challenges that I’m participating in but have yet to make progress on (!!):

Hail to the King

I have definitely not forsaken reading books by Stephen King, so there should be some progress to report in the near future. Incidentally, I do have a review of Revival which I’ll be posting on my blog soon, but I read that book at the end of last year, so it can’t count towards the challenge. It will also be the first time I try out a new feature on the blog, which will hopefully run alongside some of my future reviews.

So, that’s my monthly progress for my Reading Challenges. I hope to be back next month with more to report, and you can find the (very) condensed version of all this information by checking out the Reading Challenges menu at the top of my blog, where each challenge and any progress updates are listed.

Here’s to another month of good books!!