Monday 6 January 2014

Sooz's Book Challenge for 2014

Well, I started off 2013 saying I would read 30 books, which became 40 and then 50 - I got to 47 with 2 others partially read, so as I have set myself some other ambitious targets, both business and writing related this year, I am going to start at 30 again.
But I've made a decision. It was pointed out to me that my reading this year had largely favoured chicklit - it had, although there were still some crime/political/psychological thrillers and plenty contemporary fiction books too. So, this year I want to try and diversify a bit more.

I've checked out my recent Kindle purchases, had a glance around my home library and I've come up with the first ten reads of the year - in no particular order
Birds of the Nile by N E David  - contemporary fiction (paperback)
Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding ('cos you've just got to!) - chicklit (Kindle)
The Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier - contemporary fiction (paperback)
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes - contemporary fiction (paperback)
Coming Home For Christmas by Jenny Hale - chicklit (Kindle)
The Carrier by Sophie Hannah - thriller  (paperback - on loan from my auntie!)
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan - chicklit (paperback)
The P45 Diaries by Ben Hatch - humour (Kindle)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - classics (paperback)
Conditional Love by Cathy Bramley - chicklit (Kindle)

Three of these authors are new to me, so I continue the trend of reading new authors this year, with many more on my Kindle still to read!

So what have you set yourself to read this month? I'd love to hear your choices.
Tune in later this week for an interview with author N E David and my review of my first read of the year Birds of the Nile, which I can already tell you is fantastic!
Sooz




12 comments:

  1. My reading list right now is quite diverse! Reading a thrilled right now by Mike Wells, "Lust, Money and Murder". Just finished "Atlas Shrugged " by Ayn Rand. Here's the list from my Stanza App.
    "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Stephen R Covey
    "Affliction" Laurell K Hamilton
    "Dark Place" Gillian Flynn
    "The Divergent Triology" Veronica Roth
    "The Heist" Janet Evanovich
    "Inferno" Dan Brown
    "Outlander" Diana Gabaldon

    The list is long and lovely, cannot wait to devour them all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sounds fantastic. I actually was reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn before Christmas, and was really enjoying it. I stopped to read Christmas books, so am looking forward to getting back into it. Didn't know she had another out. Stephen Covey's book is excellent. I read it many years ago. I should re-read it! I also want to read Inferno and I am always being told that as I a big Maeve Binchy fan that I should read Diana Gabaldon. This will need to be the year that I do! Happy reading and thanks for commenting, Sooz

      Delete
  2. Set my target at 100 this year! Read 70 last year and I was preoccupied for quite awhile with having a baby so hopefully 100 isn't too ambitious! Stocked up kindle over Xmas, next few reads are: Wish Upon a Star by Trisha Ashley, here's looking at you by Mhairi McFarlane, Fractured by Dani Atkins and Sign of the Times by your good self :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd add Cloud Atlas and The Humanity Project to this list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Greg. Thanks for commenting. Oh my God, Cloud Atlas. I read it years ago, when it first came out. It is exceptionally well written but I wanted to jump off a cliff until about page 200! It was so slow.

      Delete
  4. Happy New Year Sooz! Thank you for including Conditional Love on your list, I feel very honoured. I have the Dating Game on my list amongst many others. I highly recommend The Loveliest Chocolate Shop and The Last Letter from your Lover, I read them both last year.
    Cathy x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to know re my choices. I got Jojo's book as a present for my birthday in 2012! Need to bump it up the list. You're welcome re Conditional Love and I am really looking forward to reading it.

      Delete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My reading goal is to read 40 books. I managed 35 in 2013. Out of those 40 I am going to force myself to read 4 classics. Not sure which ones yet though :)

    For January I have chosen:
    The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
    The P45 Diaries by Ben Hatch 
    and if I get time... 
    The Radleys by Matt Haig

    Gemma :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. My reading goal for 2014 is 60; 5 a month... I'm actually hoping for more, but I don't want to be too unrealistic

    January's list:
    Hogfather by Terry Prachett
    Miss Marple" The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
    Bonhoeffer: Paster, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
    Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
    Miracles by C. S. Lewis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go you! I like to set my sights low on the reading front and then I might actually get some writing done!! I am sure I will revise it later in the year (at least I hope so!) I have never read a Terry Pratchett novel, although I know he is brilliant and I am sure I have one of his books somewhere. I didn't realise C S Lewis had a book called Miracles! I must investigate at once. I have read all of Agatha Christie's books - read them all the year after finishing a 5 year literature degree! A bit of light relief!

      Delete
    2. This is actually my first Terry Pratchett as well. A friend in my writers group absolutely loves him. No one else in the group had ever read Pratchett... so we're all reading it together. It's also my first Agatha Christie as well (I'm exploring new authors this year); I'm very much enjoying Miss Marple!! C. S. Lewis is one of my favorites though. I've read the Narnia series, and some of his non-fiction, but I'm really interested in checking out his Space Trilogy.

      Delete