So – today I read the last of my 50 books for the year. I have really enjoyed the challenge and it has definitely got me into the reading mood! The surprise of having a prompt to read to, and having my husband pick out the next books I will read has really helped to add a sense of mystery and enjoyment to my reading time.
I thought I would blog my five best and worst books of the year, and then some of my favourites by genre!
Five best books of the year:
- Mythos – This is a book I have listened and re-listened to so many times! I love Stephen Fry and can’t wait for his new book on Troy to be released in October. Definitely the best book of the year!
- Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – A fantastic and touching book, with relatable characters, set in WW2 and with enough humour to lighten the dark subject matter.
- European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman – Funny and a fantastic gothic and horror series of crossovers, with some excellent female lead characters, Sherlock Holmes and an engaging storyline.
- Trickster’s Choice – Very much a fantasy story, with magic, assassins, a female fighter and a very sweet main male character. Lots of plot twists and some excellent world building.
- The Travelling Cat Chronicles – Super touching, heart breaking but also funny. Not a book I would have picked up before this challenge, so happy to have discovered it! Loved the voice of the cat and the peep into Japanese culture.
Five worst books of the year:
- Do Harm – So laughably bad, it deserves its own category. Awful writing and character development, a very lame storyline and no likeable or relatable characters.
- The Bronze Horseman – just an overwhelmingly sad of death after death, a demanding and creepy main male character and a female character who needs to learn to stand up for herself.
- Grey Mask – Underwhelming and just a bit odd. Underused female detective character who popped up and disappeared at different points in the story.
- Pet Subjects – Interesting facts about pets but more of a ‘blow your own trumpet’ book by the vet – no real storyline and I didn’t like the layout of the book in letter form.
- The Incredible Mile – Very slow and did not enjoy the last half of the book. Male narrator very much a ‘man of his time’ when it comes to attitudes about women.
And now (because lists are my jam), my ‘awards’ for the best in genre for this year…
Favourite History Non-Fiction: The Wonders
Favourite Feminist Non-Fiction: Invisible Women
Favourite Other Non-Fiction: Ayoade on Top
Favourite History Fiction: Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Favourite Crime Fiction: The Eyre Affair
Favourite Fantasy Fiction: European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman
Favourite Drama/Romantic Fiction: An Orphan’s Wish
So – what’s next for this blog? My plan is to carry on reading and carry on blogging about what I read and listen to. They might be slightly shorter blog articles, but I have so enjoyed reading and then blogging my thoughts, I would like to continue. I’m undecided about whether I will rank the books as I have done in this challenge – I might just give them a star rating out of five. But I’ll think about it!
My aim is to try and read around three books a month until the end of the year. My current books on my TBR pile are a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, movie art and work books, so might be interesting to some!
Jen's Book Blog 