Reading Round-Up: 2022

Hello Lovelies!

Happy New Year! I am super excited to round up on last year and also launch with you my reading challenge for 2023! 2022 was a great year for my little blog because I found that I really enjoyed posting more. I hope you didn’t get sick of me in the process though! I’m on a particular high today because I should have gone back to school but the heating had broken! Yes! An additional day off. More reading time for me!

First of all, I want to round up 2022. I was really pleased to see that I managed to read 145 books in 2022. Definitely down from 2021 but that’s because we weren’t stuck at home! You can remind yourself of last year here, should you wish to. Along the way, there have been some amazing books. I’ll give you my top 5 later but I’ve honestly loved it. It’s all been about trying to get down my to be read pile and I’ve put a dent in it, that’s for sure! It hasn’t been easy, like most readers there have been slumps along the way and the inability to find a book I can get into. There’s so many factors in play at times so I don’t tend to share which books I didn’t finish because I know it isn’t the book, usually it’s me. But, I am ruthless. I do give up and move on because life is too short.

Regardless, let’s check out the books of 2022!

1. Appanah, Nathacha – The Sky Above the Roof
2. Tattersfield, Eleanor – Lockdown Secrets
3. Rauf, Onjali Q – The Lion at the Door
4. Colwin, Laurie – Happy All The Time
5. Grisham, John – The Racketeer
6. Flack, Caroline – Storm in a C Cup
7. Patterson, James – The Last Days of John Lennon
8. French, Dawn – Oh Dear Silvia
9. Jennings, Luke – Codename Villanelle
10. Priestley, J.B – An Inspector Calls
11. Tremayne, S.K. – The Assistants
12. Hazelwood, Ali – The Love Hypothesis
13. Morris, Heather – Three Sisters
14. James, Erica – Mothers and Daughters
15. Wilson, Antoine – Mouth to Mouth
16. Hitchings, Henry – Love Letters to Bookshops Around the World
17. McCartney, Sophie – Tired & Tested
18. Dowd, Siobhan – The London Eye Mystery
19. Zgheib, Yara – No Land to Light On
20. Lepionka, Kristen – The Last Place You Look
21. Halls, Stacey – Mrs England
22. Prose, Nita – The Maid
23. Donaldson, Julia & Scheffler, Axel – The Gruffalo
24. Debona, Katherine – Love Me, Love Me Not
25. Allen, Anthea – Life, Death and Biscuits
26. Ware, Jessie – Omelette
27. Shrager, Rosemary – The Last Supper
28. Schwab, V.E. – Gallant
29. Halls, Stacey – The Foundling
30. Ryn, Jessica – The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside
31. Logan, T.M. – The Curfew
32. Maher, Kerri – The Paris Bookseller
33. Penner, Sarah – The Lost Apothecary
34. Blackburn, Lizzie Damilola – Yinka, Where is Your Husband?
35. Hockney, David & Gayford, Martin – Spring Cannot be Cancelled
36. Mas, Victoria – The Mad Woman’s Ball
37. Strout, Lucy – My Name is Lucy Barton
38. Cox, Katy – M is for Mummy
39. Osbourne, Bella – The Library
40. Wahrer, Caitlin – Damage
41. Ireland, Sandra – The Unmaking of Ellie Rook
42. Gold, Hannah – The Last Bear
43. Williams, Candice-Carty – Queenie
44. Keyes, Marian – Rachel’s Holiday
45. O’Leary, Beth – The No-Show
46. Grohl, Dave – The Storyteller
47. Hargrave, Kiran Millwood – Julia and the Shark
48. Gold, Hannah – The Lost Whale
49. Steinbeck, John – Cannery Row
50. Fforde, Katie – Saving the Day
51. Keyes, Marian – Again, Rachel
52. Lockhart, E – We Were Liars
53. Hawkins, Paula – Blind Spot
54. Buchanan, Daisy – Insatiable
55. Vine, Lucy – What Fresh Hell
56. Craven, M.W. – The Cutting Season
57. McCaughrean, Geraldine – The Supreme Lie
58. Sams, Saba – Send Nudes
59. Wilson, A.K. – The Manager
60. Sims, Gill – The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood
61. Oseman, Alice – Nick and Charlie
62. Patterson, James – Honeymoon
63. Bennett, Alan – The Uncommon Reader
64. Malik, Ayisha – Sofia Khan and the Baby Blues
65. Paris, Helen – Lost Property
66. Wilson, A.N. – Lilibet – The Girl who Would be Queen
67. Carvan, Tabitha – This is not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch
68. Hogan, Ruth – The Keeper of Lost Things
69. Buchanan, Daisy – Careering
70. Benson, Jen – The Wild Year
71. Han, Jenny – The Summer I Turned Pretty
72. Cox, Sara – Thrown
73. Sutanto, Jesse – Dial A For Aunties
74. Wickers, Kate – Shape of a Boy
75. Chen, Kirstin – Counterfeit
76. Stonex, Emma – The Lamplighters
77. Candlish, Louise – The Other Passenger
78. Heydenrych, Amy – The Pact
79. Sunim, Haemin – The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down
80. Cha, Steph – Your House Will Pay
81. Backman, Fredrik – Anxious People
82. Bly, Mary – Lizzie & Dante
83. Takhar, Helen Monks – That Woman
84. Heller, Miranda Cowley – Paper Palace
85. Campbell, Michele – A Stranger on the Beach
86. Jewell, Lisa – The Family Upstairs
87. Corry, Jane – We All Have Our Secrets
88. Cave, Jessie – Sunset
89. Han, Jenny – It’s Not Summer Without You
90. Hui, Angela – Takeaway
91. Swanson, Peter  – Before She Knew Him
92. Rowell, Rainbow – Fangirl
93. Han, Jenny – We’ll Always Have Summer
94. Mulhern, Stephen – Max Magic
95. Osman, Richard – The Man Who Died Twice
96. Newson, Karl & Anganuzzi, Clara – The World at Your Feet
97. Sutanto, Jesse – Four Aunties and a Wedding
98. Jestin, Victor – Heatwave
99. Brook, Kate – Not Exactly What I Had In Mind
100. Bourne, Holly – How Do You Like Me Now?
101. Bochis, Iulia – The Sun, The Sea & The Stars
102. Hazelwood, Ali – Love on the Brain
103. Taylor, Matson – All About Evie
104. Kay, Adam – Undoctored
105. Norbury, James – The Journey
106. Gayle, Mike – The Museum of Ordinary People
107. Felton, Tom – Beyond the Wand
108. Kawaguchi, Toshikazu – Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café
109. Shakespeare, William – Macbeth
110. Kawaguchi, Toshikazu – Before Your Memory Fades
111. Murray, Lily & Surplice, Holly – Five Little Penguins
112. Tucci, Stanely – Taste: My Life Through Food
113. Osman, Richard – The Bullet That Missed
114. Sanghani, Radhika – Thirty Things I Love About Myself
115. Doughty, Louise – Platform Seven
116. Theroux, Louis – Theroux the Keyhole
117. Du Beke, Anton – We’ll Meet Again
118. Moore, Ian – Death and Papa Noel
119. Donati, Alba – Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop
120. Kemp, Roman – Are You Really Ok?
121. Coles, Richard – Murder Before Evensong
122. Bennett, S.J. – Murder Most Royal
123. Miller, Madeline – Galatea
124. Swanson, Peter  – Rules for Perfect Murders
125. Sharma, Nisha – Dating Dr. Dil
126. Smith, Alex T – The Twelve Days of Christmas
127. Dickens, Charles – A Christmas Carol
128. Jewell, Lisa – The Family Remains
129. Collins, Bridget & co – The Haunting Season
130. Duffy, Carol Ann – Advent Street
131. Herron, Mick  – Slough House
132. Grimm Brothers & co – A German Christmas
133. Pooley, Claire – The People on Platform 5
134. Taylor-Bessent, Mel – The Christmas Carrolls
135. Sampson, Freya – The Girl on the 88 Bus
136. Macomber, Debbie – Jingle All The Way
137. Ayoade, Richard – The Book That No One Wanted to Read
138. Herron, Mick – Stanging By The Wall
139. Du Beke, Anton – Ballroom Blitz
140. Dean, Will – The Last Thing to Burn
141. Carroll, Lewis – Through the Looking Glass
142. Hendricks, Jaime Lynn – His Missing Wife
143. Lockhart, E – Family of Liars
144. Perry, Matthew – Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
145. Garmus, Bonnie – Lessons in Chemistry 

I think we can all agree there’s some incredible books here! Picking a top five is tough but they are:

• Beyond the Wand – Tom Felton. When I reviewed it, I called it. I just knew that it was going to take a really special book to beat it.
• Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing – Matthew Perry. I’m a huge Friends fan so I couldn’t not read this book. It was utterly heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
• Paper Palace – Miranda Cowley Heller. One of my summer reads that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely loved it. It gave me Crawdad vibes that I’d been desperately looking for!
• The Lamplighters – Emma Stonex. Another beach read that I reviewed but fell in love with the plot after the first few pages.
• The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner. A beautiful cover, a wonderful story with strong female characters.

That’s it! There’s so many others that I could have chosen but I decided to stick with these. What do you think? Have you read any of these?

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2023: My focus has now changed to 2023 and what exciting books the future holds for me here. I’ve decided I need to continue with my efforts of getting down my to be read pile. Whilst going through my monthly reading challenge last year, I spotted that some of the criteria were quite similar so I’ve worked on it and please let me introduce to you all, the reading challenge for 2023!

I’ve tried to make sure that I’ve got some things that motivate me (e.g. a beach read. Who isn’t longing for summer?) as well as things that will definitely challenge me and broaden my reading horizons. Feel free to join in with this and make suggestions for me! I get a lot of my reading list from you guys so I’m keen for any books you think are good! I really hope you join in with me!

So, onto the next book and preparing myself for the next half term.

Big love all xxxx

Reading Round-Up: December

Hello Loves!

I literally cannot believe it’s New Years Eve! Time has a really funny habit of running a way with us, for sure. I don’t think I’ll finish another book today so it’s time for my reading round up of the month. To be honest, I’ve read some excellent books in December. Holidays do provide me with the best time to relax and read and I’ve definitely been doing just that (and eating far too much…) Please tell me you’re all like me!

Anyway in December I managed to read a total of 16 books which I’m super pleased with. There’s been times when I’ve finished a book I’ve started in the same day. It’s been joyous to really get down my reading pile and enjoy reading some of the books from my advent calendar. I’ve got plenty still to keep me going though, that’s for sure! I can’t hold off any longer, I’m just too excited. Let’s check out the shelves!

I’ve written reviews of three of these already and have plans for more so this is going to be quite tricky. Lessons in Chemistry was previous post here – I just love that book. I’ve also reviewed Advent Street here too along with The Haunting Season over here and Slough House right there. It makes it a bit easier to pick a top three outside of these, that’s for sure!

1. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing – Matthew Perry. As a huge Friends fan, I had this on my list as soon as I saw it’s publication date. I hope to review it properly but I found it to be raw, moving and brutally honest.
2. The Family Remains – Lisa Jewell. Another absolute classic from Lisa Jewell. Again it was quite a hyped up book for me so I took me some time to get to it. However, it was so worth the wait.
3. The Girl on the 88 Bus – Freya Sampson. This book filled my heart and soul with unrivalled joy. If you’re needing a little pick me up, go for this one. You won’t be disappointed.

What a month! I’ve had one of the best months for reading so I’m feeling quite pleased with myself. I’m really excited for my reading challenge next year which I can’t wait to share with you (I’ve not finished it yet so any categories are welcome!) and to share more books with you too.

Have an excellent New Years Eve and of course, a very Happy New Year. I wish you all the very best for 2023! I’ll see you next year, probably tomorrow (see what I did there?!) for a roundup of the whole year, my favourites and thank yous as well as the future plans for my little blog. Until then…

Big love all xxxx

2022!

Hello Lovelies!

I firstly want to wish you all a Happy New Year and welcome 2022 in with a bang! I hope it is full of wonderful experiences, good books, peace, health and warm friendships. None of us know what the future holds but I am going to be positive for the year ahead because I’m certain there’s good books waiting to be read and memories waiting to be made.

Anyway, I’m here today to share with you my thoughts and summary on 2021 and to show you all the books I’ve read in 2021 too. Also, I’m really excited to launch my new Reading Challenge for 2022 as well and I hope you take part in this with me!

2021 was a wonderful year in so many ways but utterly devastating in others. Like the rest of the world, we went into 2021 not really knowing what was going to happen. I decided I would just do what I always do – work on my blog, read plenty, get out there and take advantages of any opportunities that came my way and provide stability to the children in my classroom. I’m absolutely certain I’ll be doing exactly the same now we are in 2022 too!

I remember this time last year in my post I was overjoyed to have read so may books in 2020 – a huge 148. Well, in 2021 I managed to read 161 books. I honestly can’t believe it. I know that sounds so silly because I did my monthly round-ups but it’s still something I’m so proud of and something I never expected to be able to do. Also, how lucky am I to have had the time and the ability to read so may amazing books. It also tells me (not that I need reminding) that reading is definitely a thing of respite and joy for me. I’m still the girl that will read before bed, in the car on long journeys and at any given moment really. My head is usually in a book and I doubt that will ever change!

2021 in books!

1. Corcoran, Caroline – The Baby Group
2. Bell, Anna – We Just Clicked
3. Fennell, David – The Art of Death
4. Ridpath, Michael – The Diplomat’s Wife
5. Ryan, Iain – The Spiral
6. Bond, Caroline – One Split Second
7. Rankin, Ian – Mortal Causes
8. Rauf, Onjali Q – The Night Bus Hero
9. Collen, Lindsey – Mutiny
10. Watson, Christie – The Courage to Care
11. Wood, Giles & Killen, Mary – The Diary of Two Nobodies
12. May, Peter – Lockdown
13. Turner, A.K. – Body Language
14. Bailey, James – The Flip Side
15. Napolitano, Ann – Dear Edward
16. Rowell, Rainbow – The Prince and the Troll
17. Potter, Alexandra – Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up
18. Lee, Krys – How I Became A North Korean
19. Logan, T.M. – The Holiday
20. Carr, John Dickson – The Corpse in the Waxworks
21. Walliams, David – Code Name Bananas
22. Clarke, Rachel – Breathtaking
23. Grisham, John – The Rooster Bar
24. Priestley, J.B – An Inspector Calls
25. Rowell, Rainbow – Eleanor and Park
26. All on the Board – All on the Board
27. Alam, Rumaan – Leave the World Behind
28. Howells, Debbie – The Death of Her
29. Cavanagh, Steve – Fifty Fifty
30. Mackesy, Charlie – The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
31. Michaelides, Alex – The Silent Patient
32. Hardiman, Rebecca – Good Eggs
33. Dowling, Tim – How to be a Husband
34. Charles, Janet Skeslien – The Paris Library
35. Lefteri, Christy – The Beekeeper of Aleppo
36. Logan, T.M. – Trust Me
37. Barnes, Simon – Rewild Yourself
38. Rosen, Michael – Many Different Kinds of Love
39. Dowling, Tim – Dad You Suck
40. Vesper, Inga – The Long, Long Afternoon
41. Sakhlecha, Trisha – Your Truth or Mine?
42. Hogan, Ruth – Madame Burova
43. Hawker, Luke Adam – Together
44. Morray, Beth – Saving Missy
45. Logan, T.M. – The Catch
46. Perry, Annika – Oscar’s Quest
47. Patterson, James – Murder Games
48. Swanson, Peter – Her Every Fear
49. Coben, Harlan – Long Lost
50. Coles, Richard – The Madness of Grief
51. McConaughey, Matthew – Greenlights
52. Moore, Captain Tom – Captain Tom’s Life Lessons
53. Logan, T.M. – 29 Seconds
54. Logan, T.M. – Lies
55. Benedictus, Leo – Consent
56. Bauer, Belinda – Exit
57. Toon, Francine – Pine
58. Cohen, Julie – Together
59. Redhill, Michael – Bellevue Square
60. Sher, Abby – All The Ways The World Can End
61. Kinsella, Sophie – Shopaholic and Sister
62. Henry, Emily – Beach Read
63. Kinsella, Sophie – Shopaholic & Baby
64. O’Leary, Beth – The Road Trip
65. Schutz, Lars – The Alphabet Murders
66. Markinson, T.B. – The Setup
67. Cloke, Nicci – Close Your Eyes
68. Taggart, Caroline – The Book Lover’s Bucket List
69. Latham, Martin – The Book Seller’s Tale
70. Wurger, Takis – Stella
71. Woods, Carolyn – Sleeping with a Psychopath
72. Nealon, Louise – Snowflake
73. Grisham, John – The Associate
74. Tolkien, J.R.R – The Hobbit
75. Candlish, Louise – The Skylight
76. James, Peter – Wish You Were Dead
77. Liardet, Frances – We Must Be Brave
78. Hwang, Sun-Mi – Miracle on Cherry Hill
79. Brandi, Mark – The Rip
80. Williams, Candice-Carty – Notting Hill Carnival 
81. Lansdale, Joe R – Cold in July
82. Earle, Phil – When The Sky Falls
83. Lefteri, Christy – Songbirds
84. Kaplinsky, Natasha – Letter from Lockdown
85. Wharfe, Ken – Guarding Diana
86. Patterson, James – Mistress
87. Paris, B.A. – The Therapist
88. Adimi, Kaouther – A Bookshop in Algiers
89. Michaelides, Alex – The Maidens
90. Skördeman, Gustaf – Geiger
91. Wix, Katy – Delicacy
92. Owens, Delia – Where the Crawdads Sing
93. Woolridge, Addie – The Checklist
94. Craven, M.W. – The Puppet Show
95. Philby, Charlotte – A Double Life
96. Carpenter, Elisabeth – The Woman Downstairs
97. Maclean, Julianne – These Tangled Vines
98. Bell, Alex – It Started With a Tweet
99. French, Dawn – Because of You
100. Berry, Lauren – Living the Dream
101. Ayrton, Lucy – One More Chance
102. Rous, Emma – The Au Pair
103. Baker, Tim – Fever City
104. Galbraith, Robert – Troubled Blood
105. Hislop, Victoria – The Island
106. Hislop, Victoria – One August Night
107. Patterson, James – The Quickie
108. Rentzenbrink, Cathy – Dear Reader
109. Patterson, James – Kill Me If You Can
110. Crawford, Susan – The Pocket Wife
111. See, Lee – The Island of Sea Women
112. Coble, Kaela – Friends and Liars
113. Dinsdale, Robert – Gingerbread
114. Christie, Agatha – Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly
115. Patterson, James – Texas Ranger
116. Hawkins, Paula – A Slow Fire Burning
117. Carpenter, Elisabeth – Only a Mother
118. Taylor, Kathrine Kressmann – Address Unknown
119. Sharpe, Tess – The Girls I’ve Been
120. Chaney, Lawrence – Drag Queen of Scots
121. Pullman, Philip – Grimms Tales for Young and Old     
122. Natsukawa, Sosuke – The Cat Who Saved Books
123. Ryan, Katherine – The Audacity
124. Shakespeare, William – Macbeth
125. Seuss, Dr – Green Eggs and Ham
126. Williams, Margery – The Velveteen Rabbit
127. Frazier, Jean Kyong – Pizza Girl
128. Peston, Robert – The Whistleblower
129. Patterson, James – Private Princess
130. Hope, Lucy – Fledgling
131. Rowling, J.K. – The Ickabog
132. Kinsella, Sophie – The Party Crasher
133. Patterson, James – Texas Outlaw
134. Walters, Minette – The Swift and the Harrier
135. Miller, Ben – The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale
136. Norbury, James – Big Panda and Tiny Dragon
137. Carr, Jimmy – Before & Laughter
138. Benjamin, Ali – The Thing About Jellyfish
139. Grisham, John – Sooley
140. Page, Alexandra – Wishyouwas
141. Dickens, Charles – A Christmas Carol
142. Beaumont, Lucy – Drinking Custard: Diary of a Confused Mum
143. Stevenson, Robert Louis – The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
144. Barnett, Laura – Gifts
145. Hoang, Helen – The Heart Principle
146. French, Nicci – Killing Me Softly
147. Prior, Hazel – Call of the Penguins
148. Daley, Tom – Coming up for Air
149. Thayne, RaeAnne – Christmas at the Holiday House
150. French, Nicci – What to do When Someone Dies
151. Fletcher, Carrie Hope – Into the Spotlight
152. Ahlberg, Janet & Allan – The Jolly Christmas Postman
153. Patterson, James – Don’t Blink
154. Wilson, A.N. – The King and the Christmas Tree
155. Kinsella, Sophie – Love Your Life
156. Perry, Sarah – The Essex Serpent
157. Fargher, Anna – Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue
158. Cooper, Daisy May – Don’t Laugh, It’ll Only Encourage Her
159. Rayner, Jay – Chewing the Fat
160. Lean, Sarah – The Good Bear
161. Donaldson, Julia & Sandey, Victoria – The Christmas Pine     

There are so many great books here by brilliant writers. Yet, I am well aware when people post how many books they’ve read, it can be quite overwhelming. Confession time: there are so many books that I’ve given up on. I’m absolutely ruthless as well because I can give up after reading the first page. I just know if it’s a book for me or not. That isn’t to say that it’s a bad book. I’m in no position to judge and never would – it’s more about how I react to it. For example, I struggle when there’s lots of characters because I get confused. I’m less good with books that constantly change time frames. These books are still amazing to other people, but just aren’t the right ones for me. Don’t ever feel like you didn’t do very well because you read less. Reading a book is an absolute joy and honour. Most of all, reading is for you. Don’t ever forget that or doubt yourself when it comes to reading.

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And now the bit I’m most excited about… My new reading challenge!

I’ve reflected quite a lot on my Reading Challenge of 2021. I loved doing it and I am so pleased I made it but I want 2022 to be even better. Last year, each month had a different theme. This year I’ve gone for a more fluid approach whereby I’ve made a bingo card and I will tick off one of the twelve focuses each month across the year.

Anyway, I’m proud to introduce to you all Book Bingo: Reading Challenge 2022!

There are some obvious things here where it fits certain months but I think this flexibility means I’ll be branch out into new areas that I haven’t gone into before. I can explore self-published books, new genres and tick off those books that I’ve been meaning to read for years but never quite got round to because a beautiful cover somewhere else caught my eye…

I’d love it if you took part in this with me and shared with me what you pick. After all, my to be read pile grows because of this community – let’s face it! Most of all, I really hope you like it! Happy New Year again and here’s to a booktastic 2022! Until next time…

Big love all xxx

Bye 2019! Hello 2020!

Hello Loves!

I can’t believe it’s New Years Eve. I think I say this every single year but I’ve no idea where the time has gone. I’m sure as I’m getting older, time is going quicker. Is that just me?

Besides, I’m not really a fan of New Year. I’m not really sure why either. It’s always been an evening well spent with family and a glass of fizz. I guess one thing I’m not such a fan of is the fact that New Year seems to be a time when people tend to make bold statements about how they’re going to change and they usually fail by the second week of January. For me, I wanted to try and read 100 books again this year. Amazingly, I succeeded! I read a total of 105 books.📚

My 2019 reading list:

Abrahamson, Emmy: How To Fall In Love With a Man Who Lives in a Bush
Ahern, Cecelia: Postscript
Alderton, Dolly: Everything I Know About Love
Anderson, Sophie: The House with Chicken Legs
Beckerman, Hannah: If Only I Could Tell You
Blake, Sarah: The Postmistress
Brahmachari, Sita: Where the River Runs Gold
Braithwaite, Oyinkan: My Sister, The Serial Killer
Buchan, Elizabeth: The Museum of Broken Promises
Bythell, Shaun: Confessions of a Bookseller
Campbell, Jen: Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
Campbell, Jen: The Bookshop Book
Candlish, Louise: Our House
Candlish, Louise: Those People
Child, Lee: The Midnight Line
Child, Lee: Gone Tomorrow
Chirovici, E.O.: The Book of Mirrors
Clanchy, Kate: Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me
Coelho, Paulo: Manuscript Found in Accra
Coleman, Alistair: Angry People in Local Newspapers
Cooper, Roxie: The Day We Met
Cormier, Robert: Heroes
Coules, Bert: Flowers for Algernon
Cumming, Laura: On Chapel Sands
Dashner, James: The 13th Reality Journal of Curious Letters
Dickens, Charles: A Christmas Carol
Didierlaurent, Jean-Paul: The Reader on the 6.27
Eliot, T.S.: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
Fargher, Anna: The Umbrella Mouse
Feret-Fleury, Christine: The Girl Who Reads on the Metro
Fforde, Katie: A French Affair
Fletcher, Carrie Hope: All That She Can See
French, Kat: A Summer Scandal
French, Nicci: The Lying Room
George, Nina: The Book of Dreams
Greene, Jayson: Once More We Saw Stars
Greer, Andrew Sean: Less
Griffin, Anne: When All is Said
Griffin, Kate: Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders
Gustafson, Michael & Uberti, Oliver: Notes from a Public Typewriter
Han, Jenny: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Han, Jenny: P.S. I Still Love You
Han, Jenny: Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Hanks, Tom: Uncommon Type
Harris, Anstey: The Truths and Triumps of Grace Atherton
Hazard, Leah: Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story
Hislop, Victoria: The Return
Hislop, Victoria: The Island
Hislop, Victoria: The Sunrise
Hislop, Victoria: Those Who Are Loved
Jakobse, Mette: The Vanishing Act
Johns, Ana: The Woman in the White Kimono
Kawaguchi, Toshikazu: Before The Coffee Gets Cold
Kay, Adam: Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas – read twice – October when published and December.
Kerr, Judith: The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Kinney, Jeff: Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Getaway
Kinsella, Sophie: I’ve Got Your Number
Kinsella, Sophie: I Owe You One
Kinsella, Sophie: Christmas Shopaholic
Kirby, Carolyn: The Conviction of Cora Burns
Koch, Emily: If I Die Before I Wake
Lane, Andrew: Young Sherlock: Death Cloud
Mackesy, Charlie: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Maguire, Gregory : Wicked
Meehan, Thomas: Annie
Mercer, Jeremy: Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs
Morpurgo, Michael: Pinocchio by Pinocchio
Murata, Sayaka: Convenience Store Woman
Noble, Elizabeth: Letters to Iris
Norton, Graham: A Keeper
Parry, Ambrose: The Way of all Flesh
Pentland, Louise: Wilde Women
Priestley, J.B: An Inspector Calls
Rauf, Onjali Q: The Boy at the Back of the Class
Rauf, Onjali Q: The Star Outside My Window
Roper, Richard: Something to Live For
Rowling, J.K, Tiffany, John & Thorne, Jack: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
RuPaul: Guru
Salisbury, Martin: The Illustrated Dust Jacket 1920-1970
Samader, Rhik: I Never Said I Love You
Shaw, Dale: Painfully British Haikus
Shepherd, Andy: The Boy Who Grew Dragons
Sims, Gill: Why Mummy Doesn’t Give a F***
Smith, Alex T: How Winston Delivered Christmas
Sorosiak, Carlie: I, Cosmo
Steadman, Catherine: Something in the Water
Stempel, John Lewis: Still Water: The Deep Life of the Pond
Stempel, John Lewis: The Glorious Life of the Oak
Stempel, John Lewis: Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field
Tate, June: Born to Dance
Thomas, Angie: The Hate You Give
Tyce, Harriet: Blood Orange
Valentino, Serena: The Beast Within
Walliams, David: Fing
Walliams, David: Bad Dad
Walliams, David: The Boy in the Dress
Walliams, David: The World’s Worst Teachers
Walsh, Rosie: The Man Who Didn’t Call
Watson, Christie: The Language of Kindness – A Nurses Story
Wilkinson, Sheena: Star by Star
Williams, Beatriz: A Hundred Summers
Williams, Laura Jane: Our Stop
Wood, Laura: Under a Dancing Star
Zouroudi, Anne: The Messenger of Athens

Looking back, this list brings me so much joy. I started the year with The Language of Kindness and I ended the year with rereading Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas, both of which are about the NHS. I have such amazing memories of my holiday reads from my summer break in Cyprus, Hislop being a firm favourite of mine.

Another thing I’m really pleased about is the mixture of fiction and non fiction. Surprisingly, non fiction has been something I’ve read more of over the past two years so I’d like to keep that going into the next decade. Finally, there’s a few titles here that are Children’s Literature. I’m really proud of the fact that 2019 was the year I set up and successfully ran the Accelerated Reader Programme in my school. Getting boys into reading is so important so there’s some titles here, namely Walliams, that make me smile because of the conversations I’ve had with various students about it.

So, what is on the agenda for 2020? Post more! (Hopefully…) Another 100 books – or try to! I’m going to make sure I jot down what I read in each month too so I remember the journey rather than just one big list. I did try and complete another reading challenge this year, picking one of the titles from the Waterstones Book of the Month list but I missed a couple of months. I’d like to complete another reading challenge but I need to research more. Any ideas? I’ll keep you posted on this! The current pile looks like this:

Also, personally, 2020 brings me a promotion at work to Head of Department which I’m super excited about. AND, after a lot of hard work and time at the gym, 3 stone lighter. Let’s hope I can keep this up.

Lastly, just a shout out to you all, my faithful blogging friends. Thank you for being there every step of the way, for sending me messages when I’ve vanished off the face of the year and checking I’m alright. I wish you all a Happy New Year and a peaceful 2020. Let’s do this!

Big love xx

2018!

Hi Everyone!

First of all, I wanted to share this amazing photo of one of my trees at home in the snow. It’s really pretty! Thankfully the snow is just about gone now.

Secondly, and most importantly, Happy New Year! 2018. Blimey. Where is the time going?! Today is the start of another new chapter for us all and I can only but ponder what is in store for us all.

I thought I’d kick the new year off with a new post about what my aims and hopes are for this year. But what are they? I’ve really no idea.

It’s easier for me to turn my attention to reading. Last year I managed to read 36 books. I was a tad disappointed but it gives me something to aim for in 2018!

The books were as follows:

Asher, Jay 13 Reasons Why
Behrendt, Greg & Tuccillo, Liz He’s Just Not That Into You
Bell, Alex The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club
Butland, Stephanie Lost For Words
Coelho, Paulo Eleven Minutes
Dickens, Charles A Christmas Carol
Doughty, Louise Apple Tree Yard
Dyer, Geoff Paris Trance
Emmerson, Miranda Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars
Foer, Johnathan Safran Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Galgut, Damon In A Strange Room
Hawkins, Paula Into the Water
Hislop, Victoria Cartes Postales from Greece
Honeyman, Gail Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Jansson, Tove The Summer Book
Kemmerer, Brigid Letters to the Lost
Kinsella, Sophie My Not So Perfect Life
Levy, Deborah Hot Milk
Loos, Anita Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Mackintosh, Claire I See You
Makis, Eve The Spice Box Letters
Minghella, Anthony The English Patient
Priestley, J.B An Inspector Calls
Pritcher, Annabel Ketchup Clouds
Sachar, Louis Holes
Seskis, Tina One Step Too Far
Shakespeare, William Macbeth
Sheffield, Jack Dear Teacher
Stevenson, Robert Louis The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Swindles, Robert Stone Cold
Thompson, Lisa The Goldfish Boy
Wax, Ruby The Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled
Wilde, Oscar Salome
Wilde, Oscar Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast
Wilde, Oscar The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Woodfine, Katherine The Painted Dragon

Some of these books I teach so I read them again and again. Nevertheless, I’m really excited about the Read The Year Challenge. I like to learn new things and this is perfect for that, to find new writers and genres. It’s easy to stick to what you know; it becomes a sort of comfy blanket really.

I hope you guys continue to follow my journey. I’ve met some amazing people on here and would love that to continue. I’m going to try and be a bit more regular on here. I know I’ve said that a lot but it’s important to me. So fingers crossed you’ll be hearing and seeing more from me. It seems a good time to say…

January 1st 2018: this is me. I have many flaws, I don’t get to read as much as I’d like, I live to work and I miss amazing posts from people here. But, I am me.

The last thing I’d like to leave you with is the message I got inside my fortune cookie last night. I wanted to share it with you all because we all face challenges and have hurdles we have to cross. It’s easy to forget sometimes.

So to my amazing blogging family, I hope you have the best 2018. You all deserve it.

Big love xxx