Reading Round-up:August

#47: World Enough and Time by Emma C Williams

#48: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum

#49: The Marvelous Land of Oz by L Frank Baum

#50: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

#51: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

#52: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling

#53: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

#54: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Eight books this month. Not bad! I didn't actually realise I'd read that many books this month until I sat down to write this post. I'm well past the goal I set myself of completing 40 books in a year, which is fairly impressive considering I only read 23 books in the whole of last year. 

I enjoyed all of the books I read this month and it's probably a tie between 'World Enough and Time', 'Sharp Objects' and 'My Sister's Keeper' when it comes to which book I loved the most. I would definitely recommend all three and I gave them each a 5 star rating.

What did you guys read this month? Any recommendations?

Reading Round-up:July

41: 'Dead Sky Morning' by Karina Halle: [4/5] a creepy instalment to the series.

42: 'Lying Season' by Karina Halle: [3/5] a bit disappointing when compared to the previous books in the series

43: 'The Panopticon' by Jenni Fagan: [5/5] my new favourite read.

44: 'Night Shift' by Stephen King: [3/5] I don't really do short stories but this was a good collection.

45: 'Saint Jude' by Dawn DeAnna Wilson: [4/5] a compelling tale of teen mental illness.

46: 'Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco' by Eileen Wacker: [4/5] a sweet story for kids about Chinese New Year.

Six books this month, not bad...

Reading Round-up:June

36. 'Queen's Gambit' by Elizabeth Fremantle: [5/5] A thoroughly enjoyable novelisation of Katherine Parr's years as consort to Henry VIII.

37. 'A Storm of Swords: part 2: Blood and Gold' by George R.R Martin: [5/5] Another great instalment to the Song of Ice and Fire series.

38. 'Sisterland' by Curtis Sittenfeld: [3/5] I had high hopes for this novel but found it fairly disappointing.

39. 'Claudia's Story' by Ashley Marie Witter: [4/5] A beautifully crafted graphic novel version of Claudia's plot line in 'Interview with the Vampire'.

40. 'Mandatory Release' by Jess Riley: [4/5] A thought-provoking novel set in a prison, that combines the dark side of life with the humour we need to invoke to survive it.

A slow reading month all in all but I'm not disappointed as I hit my target of 40 books in 2013! I can't believe I hit my target only halfway through the year. I wasn't actually expecting to read even 40 books in twelve months but I somehow managed it in six. Whatever I read now is an unexpected bonus.

Reading Round-up:May

24. 'A Storm of Swords 1. Steel and Snow' by George R.R. Martin: [5/5] A great addition to a brilliant on-going series.

25. 'Memory's Wake' by Selina Fenech: [5/5] A beautiful Young Adult fantasy title including images drawn by the author.

26. 'If I Stay' by Gayle Forman: [5/5] A sweet, thought-provoking Young Adult novel about life and death that had me in tears.

27. 'Darkhouse' by Karina Halle: [5/5] A seductively scary piece of writing. A brilliant opening to a series.

28. 'No Plot, No Problem' by Chris Baty: [4/5] A kick up the arse for flagging novelists.

29. 'Paper Towns' by John Green: [5/5] A deep and meaningful Young Adult novel that still manages to retain some humor despite its serious subject matter.

30. 'The Shining' by Stephen King: [5/5] A creepy psychological horror that will have you hooked.

31. 'Red Fox' by Karina Halle: [5/5] A brilliant follow-up to 'Darkhouse'. A fantastic continuation of the Experiment in Terror series.

32. 'The Benson' by Karina Halle: [4/5] An Experiment in Terror novella that manages to pack a scary punch despite its short length.

33. 'Rage' by Stephen King as Richard Bachman: [3/5] A now-banned book about a school shooting that really gets you thinking.

34. 'The Moth Diaries' by Rachel Klein: [5/5] A psychological horror that offers some substance to the Vampire saturated Young Adult market.

35. 'Horns' by Joe Hill: [5/5] A cleverly plotted mystery imbued with some amazing supernatural elements. Not all that scary but horror in the truest sense.

I also read two short stories this month which I didn't blog about because they weren't really that outstanding. If you're interested, they were 'New Girl (Anti-Heroes #1) by Louise Bohmer and 'NightmareZ Asylum' by Irma Geddon.

Looking back, it seems as though I really enjoyed the books I read in May. There are a whole bunch of five star ratings there. I can't actually believe I read 14 books either. That's got to be a record for me. And it takes me to 35 books read this year, which means that I'm only five books away from completing my personal target of completing 40 books in 2013. I'm not certain yet whether I'll up my goal or just consider it completed and enjoy reading as many books as I can. I'll have to wait and see how I feel.

Reading Round-up:April

              

17. 'Heart-Shaped Bruise' by Tanya Byrne: [5/5] A stunning novel about revenge and the price we pay for it.

18. 'Salem's Lot' by Stephen King: [5/5] Old School Vampires taking over small town America. One of my favourite Vampire books ever.

19. 'Death Didn't Want Me... Now I Have Life' by Hannah Dee: [4/5] A heart-wrenching memoir of life lived with Borderline Personality Disorder.

20. 'Sing You Home' by Jodi Picoult: [5/5] A tear-jerker of a novel about life, love and family.

21. 'Blood, Sweat and Tea' by Tom Reynolds: [4/5] The memoirs of a London Paramedic. Funny, poignant and thought provoking.

22. 'Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades' by Rick Riordan: [3/5] A fill-the-gap story. Fun but a little too short.

23. 'Love, Aubrey' by Suzanne LaFleur: [5/5] A children's novel tackling some big issues with a protagonist who gets inside your heart and stays there.

I had a good reading month this month. Seven books - a big improvement on March. I enjoyed everything I read this month (there are a few 5 star reads here) and it's hard to choose a favourite. It's definitely between 'Heart-Shaped Bruise', 'Sing You Home' and 'Love, Aubrey'. All three tugged on y heart-strings and had me close to tears which seems to be something I'm enjoying this month (a little strange maybe?)

Goodreads is suggesting that I increase my target of 40 books in a year to something higher as I seem to be well ahead of schedule. I'm contemplating it. But what number would be achievable?

Reading Round-Up:March

14. 'A Conspiracy of Alchemists' by Liesel Schwarz: [4/5] A fantastic mix of Urban Fantasy and Steampunk. The beginning of what looks set to be a brilliant series.

15. 'Abandon' by Meg Cabot: [4/5] After a brush with death a teenage girl gets mixed up in an underworld she never knew existed.

16. 'Carrie' by Stephen King: [4/5] A tale of High School Horror as a teenage girl gets revenge on the bullies that have made her life hell.

Not a great achievement this month. I kind of got lost with stuff going on in the real world and failed to visit the fictional worlds that I love so much. I'm ploughing myself back into books in April and hopefully I'll have a better reading round-up for you next time.

Reading Round-Up:February

9. 'Cora: The Unwilling Queen' by Amy Hutchinson: A brilliant re-imagining of the myth of Persephone and Hades set in present day America. A young-adult novel that kept this fully-grown adult on the edge of her seat.

10. 'Dawn of the Dreadfuls' by Steve Hockensmith: A quaint yet gory prequel to 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' that shows us the transformation of the Bennet sisters from young debutantes in waiting to zombie slayers extraordinaire.

11. 'Warm Bodies' by Isaac Marion: A kind of Romeo and Juliet with Zombies. Perfect for those who like a love story with added bite. 

12. 'The Birthing House' by Christopher Ransom: A disappointing horror novel that failed to perform. Dull characters, a plot full of holes and an untruthful blurb that compares it to 'The Shining'. Avoid like the plague if you want a book that will actually scare you.

13. 'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness: A brilliant take on the vampire genre that seems to have taken over. Intelligent characters, a deeply researched plot and a romantic relationship that doesn't take over the whole novel.

So, I didn't get as much reading done in February as I did in January but hey, it was a short month and I did read one 600-odd page novel so I still think I did pretty well. Plus, I'm well on-track to complete my goal of 40 books in 2013. According to good-reads, I'm 7 books ahead of schedule, which is awesome if you ask me.

I think my favourite book of February was 'A Discovery of Witches' although 'Warm Bodies' and 'Cora' are very close seconds. My least favourite was definitely 'The Birthing House'. I had great expectations for this novel and it just disappointed me in so many ways.

Again, I have a whole load of books lined up for March but I'm always open to suggestions and recommendations. What have you read so far this year? 

Reading Round-Up: January

1. 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac: a slightly disappointing read that got a bit tedious once I passed the halfway point.

2. 'Coraline and Other Stories' by Neil Gaiman: a cute collection of stories including the novella 'Coraline' which I absolutely adored.

3.'Blockade Billy' by Stephen King: the titular novella plus a short story thrown in for good measure. A quick read that kept me entertained.

4. 'Different Seasons' by Stephen King: (Yeah I was on a little Stephen King kick. It happens sometimes.) This collection of four novella's was slightly different to previous King novels. They weren't in his traditional horror vein but they were still chilling in their own way, especially 'Apt Pupil'.

5. 'The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides: a brilliant third novel from Eugenides after a lengthy hiatus. Had me reading obsessively until the very end.

6. 'Beautiful Creatures' by Kimi Garcia and Margaret Stohl: One of the best YA Urban fantasy's I've ever read. 

7. 'Mr Suit' by Nigel Bird: a lacklustre crime novella that wasn't as good as its blurb claimed it to be.

8. 'The Aylesford Skull' by James P. Blaylock: (technically I finished this on 1st February but as the majority of it was read in January I'm including it in this list) A fantastic romp through Steampunk London that has seriously won me over to the Steampunk genre.

So, I managed to read eight books in January. That's six more than in January 2012. I'm impressed with myself and according to goodreads, I'm ahead of schedule by five books. I think I have most of February's books lined up but no doubt that will change. I'm sort of a fickle reader. I decide what to read based on how the last book made me feel. Sometimes I desire something similar, other times a complete diversion from what I've just finished reading.

My favourite book of the month was definitely 'The Aylesford Skull'. My least favourite was 'On the Road'.

What did you read in January? 

2012 in BooksWhat I've Been Reading This Year

Seeing as I'm less than halfway through my current read, I doubt I'll have it finished by the end of the year (less than 2 days to go folks). So I might as well take the opportunity to share with you the books I've read this year and some brief thoughts on them.

1 'Moab is my Washpot' by Stephen Fry

I really enjoyed this memoir of Stephen Fry's earlier days. He's brutally frank about his experiences at school and the emergence of his sexuality. I came away feeling like I knew him more intimately than I should have done.

2 'A Game of Thrones' by George RR Martin

3 'A Clash of Kings' by George RR Martin

The first two books in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series are a brilliant introduction to an intriguing fantasy world. 
 

4 'The Magic Cottage' by James Herbert

A really eery horror novel about a couple who move into their idyllic country cottage and find out that not everything is as it seems.

5 'Delores Claiborne' by Stephen King

Another masterpiece by the King of Horror. This novel is written as a monologue, a statement made to the police. I really enjoyed its experimental pace and found it difficult to put down.

6 'Wild Mind' by Natalie Goldberg

This book about writing was a bit of a let down. I love Natalie Goldberg's 'Writing Down the Bones' but just didn't get as much out of this one.

7 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' by Jane Austen and Seth   Grahame-Smith

Amazing! A must-read for anybody with a quirky sense of humour who like both zombie literature and the classics.

8 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson

9 'The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' by Stieg Larsson

10 'The Girl who Played with Fire' by Stieg Larsson

Why I waited so long to read this trilogy, I don't know. It gripped me from beginning to end and I absolutely adore Lisbeth. Flawed heroes are a big favourite of mine.

11 'Trainspotting' by Irvine Welsh

Once I got used to the fact that this novel is written in dialect, I sank into it. It's a bit of a mind-bending read that takes you on a real roller-coaster ride. And it's much better than the film!

12 'Fifty Dead Men Walking' by Martin McGartand

This isn't the kind of book I'd usually pick up but my girlfriend recommended it and I agreed to give it a go. I learnt a lot about a subject that I didn't really know much about and it was kind of cool to step out of my reading comfort zone.

13 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley

A brilliant, brilliant book. One of my favourites this year.

14 '11.22.69' by Stephen King

Another one of my favourite books of the year. This was a fascinating and gripping read. A brilliant take on the time-travel genre that has a lot to say about life, love and the dangers of changing the past.

15 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins

16 'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins

17 'Mocking Jay' by Suzanne Collins

I stormed through this trilogy about teenagers battling to the death. It was surprisingly compelling considering the target age group is teenagers. And as embarrassing as it sounds, it even brought a little tear to my eyes at times. 

18'Battle Royale' by Koushun Takami

I decided to read this novel after hearing that it shared some features with Suzanne Collins' novels. I thought there were some cool ideas in there as well as some extremely gruesome scenes but all in all I was a little disappointed. I found it dragged a little and I struggled to keep up a reading momentum. This might have been due to the translation though, who knows.

19 'Over Sea, Under Stone' by Susan Cooper

20 'The Dark is Rising' by Susan Cooper

21 'Greenwitch' by Susan Cooper

The first three books in 'The Dark is Rising Sequence. I read them back to back and was pretty into them despite the fact that they were written before I was even born. However, I can't seem to bring myself to read the fourth novel. Maybe I burned myself out on them. I'm hoping I'll get round to reading book four and five next year.

22 'A Survival Guide for Life' by Bear Grylls

This is a really neat book that my girlfriend bought me during one of my hospital stays. It's not what you'd expect. It's not about surviving extreme conditions. It's about making the most of your life, about becoming the best person you can be. It's full of these great little pep talks and each chapter is no more than 2 pages, so you don't feel overwhelmed by it all. It was a great read and I found it really helpful. It's one I'll no doubt return to again and again.

23 'Zombies at Tiffany's' by Sam Stone 

An awesome novella that combines zombies and steampunk and turns Capote's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' on its head. 

24 'Silent Sand' by Sam Stone 

The fifth novel in one of my favourite series. I certainly wasn't disappointed with this one. It lived up to the expectations of its predecessors. 

25 'The Wind Through the Keyhole' by Stephen King

A great addition to the Dark Tower Series. A story within a story within a story that sucks you in and takes over completely. I couldn't put it down. 

26 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky

My new favourite book. This novel broke my heart. I recommend everyone to go out and read it right away. 

27 'The Bone Collector' by Jeffrey Deaver

A rare dip into the crime genre for me. And one that I seriously enjoyed. Much more complex than the film version and extremely gory. 

28 'High Voltage Tattoo' by Kat Von D 

I loved this glimpse into the world of tattoist Kat Von D. Although it did make me want to rush out and get a whole load of tattoos. 

So that's my reading list for the year. It's not as extensive as I'd hoped it would be but considering all I've been through this year, it's not all that bad. I'm going to set myself the goal of reading 40 books in 2013. We'll see what happens...