January Round-Up

In 2013 I read 36 out of the 50 books I'd intended to read. There were some really brilliant stand out novels, such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, Honour by Elif Shafak, We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. To be truthful though, I was a little disappointed at not reaching my 50 book target...which is why this year I've set myself the same goal of 50 books but with the intention of not just reaching it but blowing it out of the water.

I'll be joining in with #50Books2014 (hop on over to Sarah's blog, the host of this year's challenge) and have joined a smallish online book club where we read and discuss one book a month. I've also just discovered that my local Library run a monthly bookclub which I'm considering attending too.

So what did I read in January?

 

 

My first book of the year was The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, my online book club's first read. I wasn't blown away by it and found it quite hard to get into. It felt a little light-hearted for the subject matter and like it just missed the opportunity to become a much darker, more intense read.

Next up was Melting Ms Frost by Kat Black which was kindly sent to me via Goodreads First Reads. It was a fantastic, sexy romance with a very naughty side; I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for an erotic novel with a proper storyline behind it.

A Zoo In My Luggage by Gerald Durrell came next which, although it was fascinating learning about all of the different animals Durrell and his team collected, didn't quite grip me and fell a little flat.

My final read in January was The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison which featured two rather unlikeable characters that put me off the story a little. It was, however, a good, easy read and a novel I found myself enjoying, despite it not quite living up to the 'psychological thriller' claims it made.


Check out what's on my February To Read List and see which novels I have lined up and what I've read so far.