November, December and 2015 Wrap Up

Better late than never I suppose :) In November and December I read 20 books. Yes, 20. That is what happens when you stumble into a Urban Fantasy series of 13 books that you absolutely love. I only managed 11 (only :P) in December, so the final 2 are in my January reads.

Read:

Jackaby by William Ritter

3.5/5 stars

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

4.5/5

Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer

3/5 stars

Written in Red (The Others 1)

4/5 Stars

Murder of Crows  (The Others 2)

4/5 Stars

Vision in Silver  (The Others 3)

4/5 Stars

  

The Hollows Series (Yes, all of them! Well, actually just 11 of them) by Kim Harrison

Here are the covers of book number 1 and book number 11 (the last one I read in December)

5/5 Stars

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

5/5 Stars 

My True Love Gave to Me by many authors, but edited by Stephanie Perkins

4/5 Stars

So, I read a lot, but how does this mesh with my 2015 Reading Challenge. I suppose it depends on which one. On Goodreads I kept extended my reading challenge, regarding how many books I would read. I ended the year on 108 books.

Goodreads has this pretty awesome 'Your Year in Books' page, and I have desperately tried to post screenshots here. Unfortunately, I can't :(

• 108 books
• 45931 pages
• Shortest read: Carmilla (108 pages)
• Longest Read: The Fiery Cross (1443 pages)
• Average length: 429 pages
• Most popular on Goodreads: Ender's Game (776,651 other people read)
• Least popular: The Crossing (254 other people read)
• Average rating: 4.1
• Highest rated on Goodreads: Heir of Fire (4.59 rating)

Now how, did I do on my signature challenge, the PopSugar one?

Clair's 2015 Reading Challenge:

• A book you read in a day - Dreamfever/ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning (3rd January 2015)
• An Author with my initials - The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan (9th January 2015)
• A book written by someone under 30 - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (21st February 2015)
• A book with a colour in the title - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (18th February 2015)
• A book that takes place in your hometown - The Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan (February 2015)
• A book set in a different country - Delilah by Eleanor Jong (15th February 2015)
• A book with nonhuman characters - Burned by Karen Marie Moning (February 2015)
• A book with a female author - A Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (10th February 2015)
• A book published this year - Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (2nd March 2015)
• A book set in high school (well, they're all high school age and some parts mention their school - that counts right) - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2nd March)
• A book with more than 500 pages - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (10th March 2015)
• A book a friend recommended - Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (12th March)
• A book by an author you've never read before - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (17th March)
• A book with a one word title - Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon (30th March)
• A book with a number in the title - Eight Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones (31st May)
• A book with magic in it - The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (May 2015)
• A funny book - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (15th August)
• A book of short stories - Teeth by various authors (June)
• A nonfiction book - The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer (July 2015)
• A book from an author you love but haven't read yet - Masques by Patricia Briggs (June 2015)
• A book at the bottom of your to read list - Mistwood by Leah Cyprus (7th June 2015)
• A book based entirely on the front cover - The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg (August 2015)
• A memoir - The Crossing by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle (August 2015)
• A trilogy - Penryn and the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee (August 2015)
• A book set in the future - The Girl With All the Gifts by MR Carey (April 2015)
• A mystery or thriller - Inferno by Dan Brown (August 2015)
• A graphic novel - Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs, artwork by  Francis Tsai,  David Lawrence and Amelia Woo (September 2015)
• A book more than 100 years old - Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (September 2015)
• A book from your childhood - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (I figure this is the only book you can really be allowed to reread, and as I am reading it to my class, the 20 of them that have never read it make up for it)
• A book that made me cry - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (September 2015)
• A book I started but never finished - 666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce (September 2015)
• A book with bad reviews - The Resurrectionist by James Bradley (October 2015)
• A book my mom loves - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (December 2015)
• A book that scares me (teeheehee) - Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer (November 2015)
• Love triangle - all of The Hollows series by Kim Harrison (December 2015)
• A Christmas story - My True Love Gave To Me by Stephenie Perkins (December 2015)
• A popular authors first book - The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (November 2015)

So yeah, I read a lot of books this year but unfortunately they didn't fulfill the challenge :(

I didn't read these, and now I'll have to add them to next year:

• A classic Romance
• A book that became a movie
• A Pullitzer prize winner
• A book based on a true story
• Supposed to read in school
• Antonyms
• Published in the year I was born
• A book that made me cry
• Originally in a different language
• A book that was once a play
• A banned book

October Wrap Up and November TBR

October Wrap Up

Oh dear. I have to confess, October was a bad reading month for me. Despite the fact I had half term, the number of books I read was abyssmal. In fact, I only completed one first time read. I tried to read a couple more, but just couldn't manage it.

The one book I completed was ...

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I really enjoyed this read, and gave it 4/5 stars. I liked the plot, and the mysterious alternate London setting. As I mentioned before (I think in my vlog), lots of people have said that they find the main character boring. I think that is partly the point? He is a guy who is living a dull, pointless life until he gets exposed to this world, and that is when he begins to become more interesting. I especially enjoyed the different settings in London that were mentioned and described.

I tried to read..

The Resurrectionist by James Bradley

I couldn't do this. I found it exceptionally dull, and the scenes/events didn't fit well together. I learnt next to nothing about any of the characters, and gave up. As I was definitely 2/3 of the way through when I quit, I am counting this as my 'book with bad reviews' for my reading challenge. The fact I quit shows that I agree!

I am slowly getting through...

Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer

And I am liveblogging the experience here on this blog! I've just posted chapter five. I used to be a huge Twilight fan (also mentioned in another blog post) so rereading it in this form is hilarious. It's taking me a while because typing up my comments, although funny for me to do, is rather time consuming.



November TBR

After failing at reading so many books in October, my TBR pile is looking huge. And they are all on this TBR pile up to help me complete the reading challenge! Help!

These are the books that I am hoping to get through, with the most likely at the top, all the way down to the least likely...

Salem's Lot  (a book that scares me)
The Wrath and the Dawn (a book with a love triangle)
Burial Rites (a book based on a true story)
The Handmaids Tale (a book my mother loves)
To Kill A Mockingbird (a popular authors first book)
All the Light we Cannot See (a Pullitzer prize winner)
Little Women (a book that became a movie)
North and South (a book with antonyms in the title)
The Pillars of the Earth (a book published in the year I was born)

This is definitely more than I had planned, and in all honesty I cannot see it happening. My aim, realistically, is 3 books. However, the more I put off, the more on my 2015 reading challenge I have to make in December!

If you have any recommendations for books that could help me meet my 2015 challenge, please comment below!

Clair's 2015 Reading Challenge:

• A book you read in a day - Dreamfever/ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning (3rd January 2015)
• An Author with my initials - The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan (9th January 2015)
• A book written by someone under 30 - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (21st February 2015)
• A book with a colour in the title - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (18th February 2015)
• A book that takes place in your hometown - The Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan (February 2015)
• A book set in a different country - Delilah by Eleanor Jong (15th February 2015)
• A book with nonhuman characters - Burned by Karen Marie Moning (February 2015)
• A book with a female author - A Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (10th February 2015)
• A book published this year - Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (2nd March 2015)
• A book set in high school (well, they're all high school age and some parts mention their school - that counts right) - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2nd March)
• A book with more than 500 pages - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (10th March 2015)
• A book a friend recommended - Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (12th March)
• A book by an author you've never read before - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (17th March)
• A book with a one word title - Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon (30th March)
• A book with a number in the title - Eight Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones (31st May)
• A book with magic in it - The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (May 2015)
• A funny book - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (15th August)
• A book of short stories - Teeth by various authors (June)
• A nonfiction book - The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer (July 2015)
• A book from an author you love but haven't read yet - Masques by Patricia Briggs (June 2015)
• A book at the bottom of your to read list - Mistwood by Leah Cyprus (7th June 2015)
• A book based entirely on the front cover - The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg (August 2015)
• A memoir - The Crossing by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle (August 2015)
• A trilogy - Penryn and the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee (August 2015)
• A book set in the future - The Girl With All the Gifts by MR Carey (April 2015)
• A mystery or thriller - Inferno by Dan Brown (August 2015)
• A graphic novel - Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs, artwork by  Francis Tsai,  David Lawrence and Amelia Woo (September 2015)
• A book more than 100 years old - Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (September 2015)
• A book from your childhood - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (I figure this is the only book you can really be allowed to reread, and as I am reading it to my class, the 20 of them that have never read it make up for it)
• A book that made me cry - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (September 2015)
• A book I started but never finished - 666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce (September 2015)
• A book with bad reviews - The Resurrectionist by James Bradley (October 2015)
• 
  

~to be added to as time passes~

Books read in September

I'm quite proud of myself this month. It has been the start of the school year, so rather stressful. But I've still managed  to read five books!

Necropolis: London and its Dead 3/5 Stars

The start of this book was really interesting, however my interest waned towards the end. That's probably due to the fact I'm more interested in medieval history than the more recent parts!

Mercy Thompson: Homecoming 4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed the Mercy series, and I liked this little prequel. I would have liked it to be longer, and was left a little unsatisfied.

Carmilla 4/5 Stars

A weird one. It was a good storyline, especially seeing as it was written in the Victorian times. This story was the first ever Vampire novel.

The Night Circus 4.5/5 stars

The best book of the month was The Night Circus, which I had tried to read before but I didn't get in to it. I really enjoyed it, and I think that enjoyment will only grow with rereads, because rather than racing to find out how it could end I'll be focusing on the details.

666 Park Avenue 2.5/5 stars

Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

To be read in October (I've tried to go with a spooky theme, with Halloween at the end of the month!)

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Something?! by Stephen King - I'm hoping this will cover the scary book of my challenge!
The Resurrectionist by James Bradley
The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield

If you have any recommendations for books that could help me meet my 2015 challenge, please comment below!

Clair's 2015 Reading Challenge:

• A book you read in a day - Dreamfever/ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning (3rd January 2015)
• An Author with my initials - The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan (9th January 2015)
• A book written by someone under 30 - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (21st February 2015)
• A book with a colour in the title - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (18th February 2015)
• A book that takes place in your hometown - The Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan (February 2015)
• A book set in a different country - Delilah by Eleanor Jong (15th February 2015)
• A book with nonhuman characters - Burned by Karen Marie Moning (February 2015)
• A book with a female author - A Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (10th February 2015)
• A book published this year - Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (2nd March 2015)
• A book set in high school (well, they're all high school age and some parts mention their school - that counts right) - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2nd March)
• A book with more than 500 pages - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (10th March 2015)
• A book a friend recommended - Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (12th March)
• A book by an author you've never read before - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (17th March)
• A book with a one word title - Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon (30th March)
• A book with a number in the title - Eight Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones (31st May)
• A book with magic in it - The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (May 2015)
• A funny book - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (15th August)
• A book of short stories - Teeth by various authors (June)
• A nonfiction book - The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer (July 2015)
• A book from an author you love but haven't read yet - Masques by Patricia Briggs (June 2015)
• A book at the bottom of your to read list - Mistwood by Leah Cyprus (7th June 2015)
• A book based entirely on the front cover - The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg (August 2015)
• A memoir - The Crossing by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle (August 2015)
• A trilogy - Penryn and the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee (August 2015)
• A book set in the future - The Girl With All the Gifts by MR Carey (April 2015)
• A mystery or thriller - Inferno by Dan Brown (August 2015)
• A graphic novel - Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs, artwork by  Francis Tsai,  David Lawrence and Amelia Woo (September 2015)
• A book more than 100 years old - Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (September 2015)
• A book from your childhood - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (I figure this is the only book you can really be allowed to reread, and as I am reading it to my class, the 20 of them that have never read it make up for it)
• A book that made me cry - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (September 2015)
• A book I started but never finished - 666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce (September 2015)

~to be added to as time passes~