So I managed to achieve my revised target of reading 100 books this year! And I'm planning to a round-up of my favourite books later...

What is Mummy Reading? October - December

Wednesday, January 09, 2019 BookBairn 2 Comments


So I managed to achieve my revised target of reading 100 books this year! And I'm planning to a round-up of my favourite books later this month, sharing my reading stats (I love stats) and favourite reads but I wanted to complete the last of my quarterly round-ups first! So here are my reads for October, November and December.

October


Amongst this stack of books that I read this month is my favourite book of the year! 

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates - 3 Stars

What a fascinating and yet troubling read. As I learn more about feminism I realise, that whilst I have perhaps suffered by living in a patriarchy, I have been very fortunate to not have been subject to even minor incidences of sexism. What some people suffer on a daily and regular basis is infuriating (and worse!) and wanting to create a fairer society for our little girls (and boys) has made me want to educate and empower myself (and the bairns) further.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - 4 Stars

Thanks everyone who recommended this to me. I really enjoyed it. And found the characters interesting and well-rounded. And I'm glad that the plot didn't (well.... no spoilers). But I don't think I will be reading the further books in the series as I felt the story was complete by the end of this novel.

A Simple Favour by Darcey Bell - 4 Stars

I basically wanted to read this because of the recent film. It was fine. Predictable (thanks to well-placed breadcrumbs) and a bit unfriendly to bloggers which I didn't like so much for obvious reasons.

The Night Spinner by Abi Elphinstone - 3 Stars


The final book in the trilogy. This was better than the previous book and I was happy to see the characters through to the end of their stories.



Pages & Co by Anna James - 5 Stars



This is the best book I’ve read this year. I adored every page. There were so many beautiful passages about the wonder of books, book lovers and libraries/bookshops. As well as scenes from a bookworm’s dream. Anna James has truly created a world of wonder. Tilly Pages is just discovering there’s more to books than between the covers. Her favourite characters greet her in her family’s bookshop. She book wanders inside her favourite stories. And travels to the underlibrary - the organisation that manages it all. And of course there’s a mystery to solve and a suspicious character who takes an instant dislike to Tilly. What an adventure! It might be a children's book but it's a wonderful read for a book-loving grown-up too!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - 3 Stars

October is the perfect month for creepy Halloween reading. I really enjoyed this. It was creepy but loved the other world building and the clever storytelling. The underlying message of family is always one I can support too!


November


In November I planned to read a lot of my unread (or books I'd saved to read) for #NonFictionNovember but I couldn't read solely non-fiction as I need the light-relief of a good story too! Here's what I thought of the pile.

The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie - 4 Stars

Read this cover to cover on the train and loved it! And now I want an Agatha Christie box set or two for Christmas, which I didn't get but I will save my money for!

Death in the Spotlight by Robin Stevens - 4 Stars

I love Daisy and Hazel and these fun and intriguing mysteries. And this was exactly as I expected it to be! 

Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls - 3 Stars

This was really good but I found the characters a bit too “neat” if that makes sense? Just they all seemed to be a bit convenient for the story that the author was trying to tell. But it was interesting reading about their lives during the Suffrage movement and I'd like to read more fiction set in this time period on the topic.

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay - 4 Stars

I found this really funny and a great read - but maybe not for anyone who is expecting! The birth stories might scare! And a fascinating insight into the lives of junior doctors and behind the scenes of the NHS.

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell - 4 Stars

This was such a fascinating insight into the world of book selling! I wish he didn’t seem to loath his customers so much though, I found that a bit off-putting.

Plum by Hollie McNish - 4 Stars

What a wonderful poetry collection! I love her brutal honesty and clever way with words. Read so many aloud to my friend too as they had me laughing out loud.

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan - 4 Stars

This was so fun to be reminded of many childhood books! But lots I hadn’t heard of too, and I listened to the audiobook read by the author which gave an added element.

Women in Battle by Marta Breen & Jenny Jordahl - 5 Stars


I loved this!! Such a great graphic novel and loved seeing history of women laid out in such a fun digestible way!

The Boy by Oliver Jeffers - 4 Stars


As a long time lover of this series of books I loved seeing the sketchbooks, I hadn’t realised it also contained the actual books too meaning it didn’t contain quite as much new content as I thought. But I still loved it!

December




And here are the last few books I read in December! So my total for the whole year came to 103 books! If you want to know how I fit in reading as a busy mum I’ll link an old blog post about that very subject here. Here are my thoughts on my final books of 2018:

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle - 4 Stars
I read this little bundle for Christmas #CosyReadingNight

A fun quick festive read and quite silly really! Think I might read some more Holmes this year.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown - 5 Stars


This is one of the most unique and interesting MG books that I have read. Who knew you could become emotionally attached to a fictional robot?

The Wild Robot Returns by Peter Brown - 4 Stars

This was not quite as good as the first because I think some of the uniqueness had gone what with it being a sequel but I enjoyed following the next stage of the character’s journey.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman - 4 Stars

I enjoyed this re-read and still cried at the death of a character I love! But I did find it to be a bit more of a filler book than I remembered.

My Name is Book by John Agard - 4 Stars

This was not quite what I expected but I loved this book written about the history of books from the point of view a book. 

Educated by Tara Westover - 5 Stars


This is a truly fascinating biography that I sometimes had to remind myself wasn’t fiction as her life seemed so detached from what I know. A wonder.

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald - 2 Stars

Honestly, this was boring. If it hadn’t been so short I wouldn’t have finished it. (Sorry if you love it but it wasn’t for me.)

Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine - 4 Stars

A follower recommended this to me and as they predicted I loved it and flew through the story. Fast paced and fun, I picked up the next one in the series at the library this week.


Based on this do you have any recommendations for me? Or have you read any of these?

I'm looking forward to starting another new book! But I'm not setting myself as high a target for next year. I want to read because I want to read. Not because of a target!






Happy Reading,
Kim

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2 comments:

  1. What a lot of reading! I don’t know how you managed it through the “chicken pox” weeks and the “tummy bug” week and the festive season. Well done. You put me to shame but I am reading a great book at the moment - “At Home on the 18th” by George Peper. He was editor in chief of Golf magazine. The book is about the two years he and his wife spent living in St Andrews after buying a flat overlooking the 18th on the Old Course. I find it an easy read and very witty. It has me giggling out loud and reading bits to G’Ma BookBairn. If you know St Andrews well (as we do) I think you’d enjoy it whether a golfer or not.

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    1. I didn't! That's why I didn't read as many in December! I may need to borrow that when you're done.

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