Yep, it's that time of the quarter - the end and thus, my roundup of books I've enjoyed, discovered, added to my TBR. I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised by how many books I've read since July. I'm becoming a dab hand at reading over baby Antonia's sleeping head, although this is easier to do on Kindle than in print copy!
So, what did I read in the past three months?
First of all, here's the list I set myself in January - http://www.susancbuchanan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/soozs-2013-reading-list.html
and here's how I had done against that in June - http://www.susancbuchanan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/soozs-half-yearly-reading-challenge.html
But now, on to those books!
Oh, and I also updated my Goodreads challenge from 35 to 45 books and there's a good chance I will up that again, to 50 at least.
Let's go in reverse order
Just finished the latest book by Terry Tyler - What It Takes - 4 stars from me and for any of Terry's fans, her usual blend of relationships and problems with some very relatable characters.
Homing Instinct by Diana Appleyard, was recommended to me by a friend, as she knows I am a new mum and thought I might find it funny - I did, in parts, but it only gained a 3 star rating from me, as I simply couldn't like the main character.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time, by David P Perlmutter - not a genre I would normally read, being true crime, but it was set in Spain and I used to live in Spain, plus I had seen the author's tweets on Twitter a lot and I thought, what the heck, let's have a read. Unbelievable what happened to him in more senses than one. He is one lucky and unlucky man.
From Notting Hill With Love Actually by Ali McNamara - I do love to pick books up in charity shops. I buy books everywhere, but once a month if possible, I like to do a little trawl and I had heard good things about this book. I wasn't disappointed. Loved the love interests and adored the fact the protagonist repaired popcorn machines for a living. Will be looking out for more by this author. 4 stars.
Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr - I'd already read A State of Jane by Meredith and enjoyed it. 4 stars from me. Chicklit in its purest form - both books.
Kismetology by Jaimie Admans - loved the concept, a tad unusual, dating for your mother. Some of it was a tad far-fetched for my liking, but also highly entertaining. 4 star chicklit.
By My Side by Alice Peterson - I've loved all of Alice's books, but I think this is my personal favourite, although each of them has had something a little special about them. For fans of books which cause a lump in your throat, but much happiness, too!
Sunshine With a Chance of Snow by Carole Matthews - a short story, with a message. And the bonus was it was free. Love all of Carole's stuff. Lovely story.
The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern - bizarrely, the second time I had read this book. I say bizarrely as there are few books I will read twice these days, as there are so many books and so little time. But, I couldn't remember if I had read it and I had lent it to my auntie who said it was amazing. I couldn't remember what happened, so I read it again. It is a fantastic book.
Must be Love by Cathy Woodman - the second in the vet series. I also found out that Cathy is still a vet! Loved it. Went to the library to get instalment three and some bleep had taken it out in the space of time it took me to check availability online and pitch up at the library. Grrr. So still waiting..
4 stars from me.
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson - has to be read simply because of the title, but a book which I couldn't decide if I loved or loathed. I initially enjoyed the humour, but the book became continually more far-fetched, yet I still gave it 4 stars, as it was so unusual and entertaining.
In addition to those above, books I have bought in the past three months, bearing in mind I still have 500 in my home library unread...least said about that the better, are as follows:-
The Accidental Husband by Jane Green - love Jane Green, although I am told her later work is getting a bit more serious. Jemima J is still my favourite. I did, however, read quite a bit of this book yesterday and am really getting into it.
The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg - amazing Swedish crime writer, whose books I adore.
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan
The Longest Holiday by Paige Toon
Don't Want to Miss A Thing by Jill Mansell
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
and two I scooped up on Kindle the other day, You, Me and Him by Alice Peterson and also Letters from my Sister by Alice Peterson
OK, so I've just checked and it looks like I've still got 10 of the books on my original list made in January to read. I am, however, currently reading Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie, another pure chicklit read, whose characters I am finding very entertaining.
Well, that's me for now. Check in on Friday when I will be interviewing an author who has a new short story collection out.
Have a good week
Sooz
Thanks for the mention - aha, I see you're someone who doesn't like a book because you don't like the main character. I've never understood this, though I know many people feel that way. I've just read a book in which the main character murdered her father - and that was just the start!!! Loved it, and gave it 5 stars. I have to say, I don't understand marking a book down because you don't like a character - I've had this happen myself, with You Wish, I remember - someone said that she thought Petra was scarily obsessive and Sarah was spolt and selfish, so gave it 2 stars.... er, yes, they were MEANT to be; if you find them thus, then that's actually a GOOD thing...!!! But I do get that some people only want to read books about nice people, so I can see where you're coming from. As someone said in one of my reviews, she needs to 'be friends' with the characters. Not moi.. well, my all time favourite TV characrer is JR Ewing...!
ReplyDeletethanks for commenting, Terry. Actually, there are only two books recently, of which Homing Instinct is one, whereby not liking the main character was a dealbreaker for me. The other was The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes. Generally speaking, it depends on the book and of course, the example you gave is excellent - the murderer. In fact, I still really enjoyed Maria Savva's Haunted, although it was difficult to feel empathy for the murderer. Plus, since you mentioned your own books, Sarah and Petra didn't put me off! I guess it depends on the book.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Life, Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenni Eclair - I thought it was a fabulous book. Some funny moments of course, but also some really poignant, edge of your seat moments too. Brilliant.
ReplyDeletehi Margaret, I've heard of that book actually. It was recommended to me last year, but I completely forgot all about it. Must add it to my TBR.
DeleteThank you Sooz! I like the phrase "chick lit in its purest form"!
ReplyDeleteGreat list, Sooz! I will need to add these books to my TBR list. So glad you're enjoying Breaking the Rules! :)
ReplyDeleteInterested to know what you think of Gone Girl when you're done. I can say nothing about the book without giving everything away, but I really liked some things about it; some things totally blew me away; some things really annoyed me. I do consider it a must-read though.... Go figure!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for mention Sooz - so great that you loved By My Side. Love, Alice x
ReplyDelete