Quarterly Reading Round-up #1
I'm currently taking part in the Goodreads Reading Challenge, where I will endeavour to read fifteen books in 2016. I know that may not be a lot to some of you, maybe it's even laughable. But I currently stand at four books, which is double what I managed to read last year (not including the numerous books I picked up but then gave up on a few chapters in).
In light of my quest to read more, a fun thing I thought I could do on my blog is a Quarterly Reading Round-up. This is where I'll talk about all the books I've read in the past three months, how they rank against each other, any new genres I've been getting into and what I'm excited to read in the future. Here we go!
'Cause this is Thriller…
One genre I've really sunk my teeth into this year is thriller - more specifically, the domestic/psychological thriller. Tales about ordinary people leading their ordinary, but messed up under the surface, lives. First with The Girl On The Train, then The Widow, and now Beside Myself, which I've recently started. Why thrillers? I've been trying to stray away from YA fiction, not because I don't love it, but just because I feel like I've outgrown most of it. I can't relate to 'teen' problems, because well, I'm not a teen anymore. I'm not giving it the boot completely, I'll still seek out some talked about and well-recommended YA. However, I'm enjoying my foray into this new genre, and enjoy seeing my thriller TBR pile grow.
Audiobooks are your friend!
Because I'm a slow reader, and also spend a lot of time travelling due to having a long-distance boyfriend, I've found my calling with audiobooks. It started with a free trial on Audible in January and I haven't looked back since. I still can't really tell if audiobooks are cheating or not, because I'm not technically 'reading'. But it's hell of a lot easier and more convenient. It means I can have two books on the go (one for reading-reading and one for listening), I can still listen to them if I have a headache or don't want to strain my eyes, and it means I don't have to buy as many physical books. As much as I love physical books, they do take up a lot of space!
It started with a Kiss...
Sarra Manning was my favourite author in my teens. From the moment I picked up the first book of her Diary of a Crush series, I was hooked. I was amazed how an adult woman could tap so well into the brain of a teenage girl. All of her heroines were so relatable and cool, and I wanted to emulate many of them. Edie was basically the reason why I wanted to move to the North. Hey, if a fellow Brighton girl could move up to Manchester, so could I! (Even though I currently reside in Sheffield... close enough) However, Manning's teen charms slowly wore off around about when I read Adorkable- I didn't know whether it was the story itself I didn't like, or if it was something else, but I just didn't feel excited for it anymore. A few years later, I came across a new release of hers and I remembered "hey, she does fiction for adults too!" After the Last Dance incorporates historical fiction with contemporary, telling the story of two women of different periods and how their lives fated to be intertwined. I'm over half way through, and it's safe to say I'm starting to fall back in love with Sarra Manning's writing again.
Favourites.
It's hard to pick a favourite of the four books I've finished so far since they're all so different and evoked such different feelings. But since I read books from two different genres, I'll pick a favourite from each. As important and evocative Asking For It was, it was a very difficult read due to the subject matter, so for the YA category I'm giving it to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It was a such a nice story, written very poetically, and it just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. As for the thrillers, I'd have to pick The Girl on the Train. Despite some issues I had with some of the characters, I enjoyed it and it gripped me a lot more than The Widow did.
Check out my Goodreads profile for what I've added to by To be Read pile, and stay tuned for more book reviews very soon. Stay tuned for another Quarterly Reading Round Up next time!