I have managed to do quite a lot more reading in these last three months and have reached my GoodReads challenge of 48 books (which I cho...

What is Mummy Reading? April - June

Monday, July 02, 2018 BookBairn 16 Comments


I have managed to do quite a lot more reading in these last three months and have reached my GoodReads challenge of 48 books (which I chose to be four a month) and I'm now secretly hoping I might manage 100 books but I don't want to set myself too high a target either. It's been an interesting month of reading with quite a few wonderful five star books and some that were extremely disappointing too. I had a 'meh' month in May with very little that wowed me but made up for it in June with lots of excellent books!

So here's what I've read in the last three months with a little snippet review:

April


Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis - 3 Stars


I listened to this one on audiobook and I didn't like this one as much as the previous in the series. I also found I was listening to it in shorter chunks in the car rather than doing a long journey somewhere so perhaps that inhibited my listening ability? Found it a bit confusing and the characters over-abundant. The next in the series isn't available on audio at my library so I'll need to read the book and that might help me enjoy it more than the audiobook.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling - 5 Stars


Huge book confession time, I hang my head in shame as I finally admit to you all, I haven't read them. But now that it's out there... I started reading Harry Potter and loved it. Much more than the film. Sorry I'm so late to the game. Got the next to on audio download from my library. You wait 21 years to read it and then three come along at once!


The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows - 5 Stars


I loved re-reading this. It's brilliant. The film was brilliant. Such a moving and heart-warming story. It has everything to love in a book: books, friendship, war, romance! If you haven't read it, you need to.


Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill - 4 Stars


This is a dystopian novel about what would happen if women were run off a conveyor belt like barbies to serve the purpose of men. I found this gripping, disturbing and fascinating. Very uncomfortable reading and yet I still wanted more. I will definitely be reading more from this author.


Belle and Sebastien by Cecile Aubrey - 3 Stars


My mum tells me how much I loved the TV series as a child so when I saw Helen Stephens had illustrated I just knew I had to have a copy and since it's my birthday I treated myself. Really enjoyed it too!


The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry - 3 Stars


I've been trying for months to read this and couldn't get into it. And to be honest, I slogged my way through. I thought it was ok. And I was waiting for something amazing because of all the hype. But it didn't live up to it I'm afraid. Glad I finally finished it though!

May


Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 4 Stars


I loved this little book of tips for raising a feminist, short but feisty! It makes me really want to read one of her novels.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - 4 Stars


I didn’t enjoy this as much as I remembered but still want to go to Misselwaith to explore the Secret Garden. I just found I was comparing it to 'A Little Princess' by the same author which I love and this just didn't quite live up to that for me. But I have really enjoyed reading the 'Storybook' edition with BookBairn recently.


Harry Potter Chamber Of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - 5 Stars


I listened to both on f these on audiobook and loved them. I'm loving learning more about the world of Hogwarts and the characters from the story. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite in the series so far! 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han - 3 Stars 


I found the main character ridiculously self-indulgent and the storyline weak in this much-lauded series. I won't be reading any more of them. But I will probably watch the Netflix series when it comes out later this summer.

So Much for that Winter by Dorthe Nors - 3 Stars


These two short stories were truly fascinating and I loved the way the story was told through written lists - I can totally identify with that! But some of it was a bit "literary" for my taste and I thought such an interesting medium could have been used to tell a more compelling story.

The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - 5 Stars


This was easily the best book of the month! Beautiful illustrations, magical story, a wonderful book! Can’t wait to read more from the author! (In fact i've just checked out The Marvels from the library!)

These Dividing Walls by Fran Cooper - 4 Stars


I used to live in Paris (did I mention that already - I feel like I drop this into conversation a lot!!) so I found the descriptions of the city to be very evocative of the Paris I know; though the story about the descent to right wing politics was quietly disturbing. Probably packed with too many unnecessary side-stories for me. It was powerful enough without them.


June



Ordeal By Innocence by Agatha Christie - 5 Stars




I loved this and it was very different from the TV dramatisation so it was great to have a bit more surprise than I was expecting. 





It Only Happen in the Movies by Holly Bourne - 4 Stars




I really enjoyed this love/not love story. I think a younger me would have loved it even more!



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling - 5 Stars


This is my new favourite! I found this really gripping and even though I knew the majority of the story from the films it was written in such a way that I still questioned what was going to happen. A masterpiece of storytelling.


Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng - 4 Stars


I found myself reading and reading and being kind of gripped by this but I'm not sure why as it wasn't a typical gripping read. I wanted to know what was going on in the main character's mind and became involved in the family saga.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 5 Stars


 My favourite Agatha Christie that I've read so far. Genius. If you've not read any of her books yet I would start with this one - and then you'll be hooked.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close  by Jonathan Safran Foer - 3 Stars


I found the style of this fascinating and the protagonist was a really compelling character. But I did find it pretty incredible and wholly unlikely story and therefore I just couldn't quite get behind it.

Crowns of Croswald by DE Night - 4 Stars


This is a brilliant new MG book set in a magical world full of adventure and promise for the next in the series. I found that some of the world was a bit overly complex but I loved the idea of scrivenry and the magic involved in this. Looking forward to reading more from this series.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 5 Stars


This has for some time been one of my all time favourite books and listening to it on audiobook did not disappoint (though I think I enjoy it more when I read it as the audio was a bit stop and start because I don't listen consistently). I love the story. I love the characters. I want to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed 5 Stars


This was my book of the month because it totally surprised me. It's a very dark and disturbing piece of feminist dystopian fiction, this is one that will stay with me for some time and although I wouldn't say I enjoyed reading it, I found it to be an incredible book.


I've decided not to plan 'to be read' piles anymore as I like having the freedom to choose a bit more widely but I do plan to continue with the Harry Potter books (currently reading HP & the Order of the Phoenix) as well as getting back to the Narnia books. I also want to read all of the books that I bought when I went charity book shopping. And I'm thinking in September I might do a sort of 'back to school' focus on reading MG (Middle Grade, books aimed at 8-12 year olds) as I have a few sitting on my shelf waiting to be read!


Below is a link to my GoodReads page which should be up to date with all the books I have read so far this year (and it should keep updating as I continue to read). I'll be doing another quarterly post at the end of September but if you want to see what I'm currently reading you can find me on there!



BookBairn's Recent Reads

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Gather the Daughters
Ordeal By Innocence
It Only Happens in the Movies
The Crowns of Croswald
And Then There Were None
A Change Is Gonna Come
The Secret Garden
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
So Much for That Winter
Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
These Dividing Walls
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Belle and Sebastien
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Essex Serpent
Only Ever Yours
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone


BookBairn's favorite books »




2018 Reading Challenge

2018 Reading Challenge
BookBairn has completed her goal of reading 48 books in 2018!
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Happy Reading,

Kim


Read With Me

16 comments:

  1. So many books! I’m amazed! Well done.

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  2. What a great selection of books. You read so much which is fantastic.
    I haven't read the Harry Potter books in years. I think I need to reread them. #readwithme

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    1. Thank you! My first time reading them and I'm loving it!

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  3. It's great to see what you've been reading yourself and I'm glad that you like Harry Potter! It really is amazing, isn't it? I've read Only Ever Yours and am keeping it for my daughter when she's a bit older - a really thought-provoking book. I read loads of Agatha Christie books as a teenager and am tempted to go back to them to see if I still love them.
    I'm impressed with your 33 books already this year. I'm currently on number 23, although I do tend to read rather long books!

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    1. For some reason my widget hadn't updated - I've actually read 50! But I've fixed it now. I'm loving Agatha Christie - I wish I had discovered her books sooner. And Only Ever Yours is so good - really thought provoking.

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  4. I have to admit to being a little jealous of you reading the Harry Potter books for the first time; I so wish I could read them for the first time again!

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    1. Haha! I'm looking forward to reading them with BookBairn when she's old enough and hopefully I'll get to experience them all over again with her.

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  5. That's a fab selection of books right there, I'm up to 36 books which is really low for me but I was determined to slow myself down this year, still way ahead of my one a week goal though lol #readwithme

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    1. I think it depends sometimes on what books you are reading - I haven't read any non-fiction because that really slows me down!

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  6. I'm very impressed with the number of books you manage to read! My daughter is rereading the Harry Potter books at the moment, I read the first two with her but she wanted to read the rest on her own. Maybe it's time I read them again too, I really enjoyed them although I preferred the earlier stories, the later ones are much darker.

    #ReadWithMe

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    1. I am loving the darker ones to be honest! You should buddy read them with her even if you aren't reading them aloud!

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  7. Wow you certainly have read loads and some are quite long too. I've been contemplating revisiting Agatha Christie as my son is studying her at school. She was one of my favourite authors in my teens #readwithme

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    1. Thanks - I wonder how many pages I've read? I can't believe it has taken me this long to get into Agatha - I need recommendations for which ones to read next - there are so many!

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  8. Kim how have you missed out on HP until now??!! So glad you are reading it, it's on my pile to start with the kids. I have read two books this week for myself. I am a total binge reader, I can go weeks without reading a book just for me and then read two in three days! Finding time is always key but I also have to be in the right mood and like you I have given up with trying to read books I'm not enjoying,life is definitely too short!! #readwithme

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    1. Definitely too short not to put down a book you aren’t enjoying! And I know HP novice!

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