2018 Personal Reading Challenge: Halfway...
Having set myself the challenge to read some books in various categories, and having shared that with you here, I thought updating you on my progress might be a good idea.
I have kept up my reading record, which means I can review relatively easily what I've read this year so far. Once I put the information in an electronic file it will be even easier.
But in terms of the three categories, I am not doing as well in keeping up to date.
In fact, I haven't finished any books in Spanish, which is a pity, and this is a challenge I may revisit when my head is in a different space. And I have only finished one non-fiction book, although I have been reading another non-fiction book on and off for quite a few months, and have just started a third.
However, I am almost keeping up to one book a month for my third category, Reading to Stretch and Relax. Here are the categories I've been able to complete so far:
January: A book you haven't read by an author you love.
February: A book published in 2017.
March: A book by someone using a pen name.
April: A book by someone you've met.
June: A book from your hometown/region. (Category was originally worded: a book set in your hometown/region.)
However, I have also come across a few books which I have enjoyed so much I have given them 5 stars (out of five) in my reading record. Here are a few of them:
The Complete Quin and Satterthwaite by Agatha Christie.
A different type of stories by one of my absolute favourite authors. Mr Harley Quin and Mr Satterthwaite appeal to me as characters in very different ways from Mr Poirot and Miss Marple. There are some short stories in the collection, a few longer stories, and a few which even involve Poirot!
Darkhaven by A. F. E. Smith.
A new author for me this year - and don't you love finding a new author you really enjoy reading! Fantasy is one of my favourite genres, and it is especially thrilling to find a new author you love whose books have been published in the last five years - most of my favourite fantasy authors were first published in the 1980s. One of the most wonderful aspects of this series is the good balance of genders in characters, especially in main characters.
The Rome Gospel by Ben Chenoweth.
I read this book while I was away on holiday. Published in 2017, the third in a series of historical fiction, this was a book I had been looking forward to reading, and it didn't disappoint, even as it surprised! Where the previous two books had dual timelines, one in the 21st century and the other in the 1st century CE, this one had a 1st century CE main story with significant memories or flashbacks to earlier in the main character's life. While it is the third in a series, each book can be read in isolation.
The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery.
Susan Mallery is one of a few authors I've encountered in the last year or so who writes contemporary fiction with a focus on friendships, and different kinds of friendships, more than romance. This book is the second in the Mischief Bay series, and unlike The Rome Gospel, I would recommend reading these three books in order, as there is overlap in characters even though the story doesn't focus on exactly the same set of characters in each of the three novels. This was my favourite in the series, but not by much!
Have you started reading any new authors or new genres this year? If so, I'd love to hear what you've found! Happy reading!
I have kept up my reading record, which means I can review relatively easily what I've read this year so far. Once I put the information in an electronic file it will be even easier.
But in terms of the three categories, I am not doing as well in keeping up to date.
In fact, I haven't finished any books in Spanish, which is a pity, and this is a challenge I may revisit when my head is in a different space. And I have only finished one non-fiction book, although I have been reading another non-fiction book on and off for quite a few months, and have just started a third.
However, I am almost keeping up to one book a month for my third category, Reading to Stretch and Relax. Here are the categories I've been able to complete so far:
January: A book you haven't read by an author you love.
February: A book published in 2017.
March: A book by someone using a pen name.
April: A book by someone you've met.
June: A book from your hometown/region. (Category was originally worded: a book set in your hometown/region.)
However, I have also come across a few books which I have enjoyed so much I have given them 5 stars (out of five) in my reading record. Here are a few of them:
The Complete Quin and Satterthwaite by Agatha Christie.
A different type of stories by one of my absolute favourite authors. Mr Harley Quin and Mr Satterthwaite appeal to me as characters in very different ways from Mr Poirot and Miss Marple. There are some short stories in the collection, a few longer stories, and a few which even involve Poirot!
Darkhaven by A. F. E. Smith.
A new author for me this year - and don't you love finding a new author you really enjoy reading! Fantasy is one of my favourite genres, and it is especially thrilling to find a new author you love whose books have been published in the last five years - most of my favourite fantasy authors were first published in the 1980s. One of the most wonderful aspects of this series is the good balance of genders in characters, especially in main characters.
The Rome Gospel by Ben Chenoweth.
I read this book while I was away on holiday. Published in 2017, the third in a series of historical fiction, this was a book I had been looking forward to reading, and it didn't disappoint, even as it surprised! Where the previous two books had dual timelines, one in the 21st century and the other in the 1st century CE, this one had a 1st century CE main story with significant memories or flashbacks to earlier in the main character's life. While it is the third in a series, each book can be read in isolation.
The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery.
Susan Mallery is one of a few authors I've encountered in the last year or so who writes contemporary fiction with a focus on friendships, and different kinds of friendships, more than romance. This book is the second in the Mischief Bay series, and unlike The Rome Gospel, I would recommend reading these three books in order, as there is overlap in characters even though the story doesn't focus on exactly the same set of characters in each of the three novels. This was my favourite in the series, but not by much!
Have you started reading any new authors or new genres this year? If so, I'd love to hear what you've found! Happy reading!
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