I thought I would share my favourite book from each month so far this year. There have been so many good ones. And who knows, you might even find some inspiration in my list!
Here goes…
January
Title: The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide
Author: Chris Colfer
Genre: Fantasy (Children’s)
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
February
Title: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Author: Shelby Van Pelt
Genre: Mystery
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
March
Title: Noone Saw A Thing
Author: Andrea Mara
Genre: Thriller
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
April
Title: Glutton
Author: Ed Gamble
Genre: Memoir
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
May
Title: Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author: Heather Morris
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
&
Title: The Inmate
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
June
Title: The Housemaid Series1.
1. The Housemaid
2. The Housemaid’s secret
3. The Housemaid is watching
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
July
Title: The Dead Zone
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science Fiction Thriller
Rating:โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
&
Title: The Twins of Auschwitz
Author: Eva Mozes Kor
Genre: Historical, Autobiographical
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
August
Title: The Wilds
Author: Sarah Pearse
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
&
Title: The Perfect Son
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
September
Title: Behind Closed Doorz
Author: B A Paris
Genre: Thriller
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
What’s been the best book that you’ve read so far this year?
Today is World Book Day. I mean everyday is Book Day for me haha.
As I work in a Primary School Setting I do love this Day simply for sharing stories and excitement around books.
Plus, it’s good fun to make a costume and dress up. My favourite part is reading to the children throughout the day though.
What could you do this World Book Day?
Get crafty and make a bookmark for you and or the kids.
Just enjoy a bit of quiet reading time with a new book or a favourite of yours…
Read to the kids! This is my favourite part of world book day at work โค๏ธ๐
Try something new? A new type of book, a new genre. I have recently been enjoying the Heartstopper Graphic Novels which is not a book format that I usually read.
Read your favourite book โก
Unfortunately I won’t have time today but, going to a local bookshop and treating yourself to a new book would also be an awesome way to spend it too. Especially if the kids have their book token too!
This year I have reused my Stick Man costume as I put alot of effort into making this last year so I thought I would get one more year out of it!
Whatever you do, I hope you have been able to enjoy a book and share that joy with somebody…theres nothing better โก
I thought I would do a halfway through the year, book update!
Every year I have done a reading challenge of sorts, and this year, instead of monthly or quarterly updates I thought I would do two Six month updates.
So, here is my first reading update of 2021, January – June.
[Disclaimer: I’m not that fast a reader sometimes, it comes in fits and spurts, and I’ve had lots of revision to do, so its not as long a list as I’d like]
January – June 2021
The Winter GardenBy Heidi Swain
The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning By Chris Colfer
Because of YouBy Dawn French
The LidoBy Libby Page
Pushby Ashley Audrain
The Holidayby T.M Logan
A Taste of Homeby Heidi Swain
Only Time Will TellBy Jeffrey Archer
The Sins of the FatherBy Jeffrey Archer
Until Next WeekendBy Rachel Marks
The Dead Fathers ClubBy Matt Haig
Saving the Day By Katie Fforde
The MotiveBy Khurrum Rahman
Best Kept SecretBy Jeffrey Archer
My favourites so far are, of course the Heidi Swain novels ‘The Winter Garden’ & ‘A Taste of Home’ as well as ‘Until Next Weekend’ ‘Push’ & ‘The Holiday’ which I could not put down. I love that feeling.
The suprise was the Harry Clifton series by Jeffrey Archer, the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.
Christmas, Spring/Summer are my favourite times of year to read and as I was enjoying my book this afternoon it got me thinking about this time last year…
April 2020 was a both a confusing and enlightening time for me (It sounds strange I know, stick with me)
Lockdown was fully in swing at this point, Pandemic – WHATTTT, very confusing! But, amongst the madness of Lockdown, for the first time in probably 11 years I had time… time to do the things I enjoyed, unapologetically, emphatically and with a new found appreciation for them.
And with this feeling and freedom in place I got such a heightened enjoyment from the novels I was reading. It of course helped that they were bloody brilliant books… so, lets take a walk down memory lane…
๐ธ
April. This seems to be a good month for me in terms of discovering new books, especially ones that turn into firm favourites, that I always recommend when someones asks me; ‘Do you know of any good books?’
๐ธ
In the midst of the OG Lockdown…
I read ‘The Silent Patient’ in a day I was so enraptured by it, gripped to the last page…
We also had another Heidi Swain release, which always makes a month amazing (& this sunny seaside stay is one of my faves of hers) ‘The Seaside Escape’
…and I found another firm fave and cosy number in ‘The Flat share’ which has lead me to many brilliant books by Beth O’Leary as a result.
Fast forward to today…. & I’m thoroughly enjoying ‘The Lido’ by Libby Page. Its a cosy, feel good book that restores your faith in community, friendships (unconventional & not) and yourself along the way.
I’m so invested in this story, its endearing characters and community that I know I’ll be sad when it ends and we aren’t spending our time together anymore (if you know, you know!)
I want to see how it all plays out but I don’t want to say goodbye.
You know you’ve got a good’un when thats the case.
I’m super looking forward to the end of the month as I have a few Preorders coming my way and I’m SO EXCITED!!
They are: ~A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain ~The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary ~Until Next Weekend by Rachel Marks
(& a new Sarah Morgan book at the end of May ๐๐ป๐๐ป)
All we need is for this sunshine to stay, Covid to be kept at bay and a nice cold drink to sip as we enjoy these brilliant books!
World Book Day snuck in just in time, before the first Lockdown last year, this year wasn’t to be… so, how does your lockdown World Book Day look??
It’s such a shame that we haven’t been able to fully immerse ourselves, as we usually would, at work but it was lovely seeing all the children sharing books, picking them out, listening to stories and writing.
I love watching children enjoying and getting involved with reading a book, it is one of my favourite parts of my job!
So, that was part of my lockdown World Book Day.
I’ve also been sharing a few of my book favourites over on my blogs Instagram (Roseannes Blog)
I also took the opportunity (via Skype ๐ฅ) to read my nephews a few stories for World Book Day
We read ‘I need a new bum’ and ‘The Dinosaur that pooped the past’ some silly & fun books!!
And of course I’m going to make sure that I do one of my most favourite things tonight… cosy down with a good book and just relax and enjoy it.
Whatever you are doing, I really hope that you are getting a moment to read a page or two of a book and you are able to forget about anything else that is happening, just for a moment, whilst you do.
So, this is my last post with the word Christmas in, honest!
Here is my book haul. I was very lucky to receive quite a few lovely books for Christmas this year, my ideal gift, so I thought I would share them with you.
It’s quite a mixed bag so let’s take a look…
Ant and Dec Once Upon a Tyne
I LOVE Ant & Dec, they are my absolute faves so I was super excited to receive this. This one I requested, so I hoped it was on it’s way. It’s really funny so far.
Finding Love at the Christmas Market by Jo Thomas
I had seen this one advertised and heard alot of great things (plus I love a cute, warm, festive story) so I was pleasantly suprised when my sister got me this. I’ve finished it and it was as lovely and heart warming as I’d have hoped. Perfect for Christmas & Blue January!
‘Still Friends’ 25 Years of the TV show that defined an era. By Saul Austerlitz
I can’t wait to start reading this. F.R.I.E.N.D.S is my ultimate fave TV show and my lovely friend bought me this for Christmas, knowing I love both books & friends. Definatly onto a winner with this one.
Collectors editions of: Peter Pan By J M Barrie, A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens & The Railway Children by E Nesbit
I discovered these in my local indie bookshop. They are absolutely beautiful. The covers are amazing ๐ I have wanted to add some classics to my collection for a while so I picked these out and my Mum and Dad gave them to me for Christmas.
I also got two illustrated Harry Potter books; ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ illustrated edition & ‘Quidditch through the ages’ illustrated edition
If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know that I’m a MASSIVE!!! Harry Potter fan, so I was super excited to add these to my collection. I had asked for the illustrated ‘Goblet of Fire’ but I wasn’t expecting the ‘Quidditch through the ages’ illustrated version… IT LOOKS AMAZING.
Did you get some books for Christmas?? How are they??
Roseanne Byford 