I enjoyed Becca’s Spookoplathon so much last year, that I’ve been eagerly awaiting October to give it another go! My aim for October is to read some books that have been sat on my bookshelf for over a year, so I can either give them some long-awaited attention, or donate them to work if they …
I think The New York Times has broken the book community by revealing their list of 100 best books of the 21st century (so far). Soon to follow was the readers’ best books too, which I think a lot of people were able to relate to a little more. I love a book challenge, so …
Like any eager bookworm, my bookshelves have been slowly spilling over with old favourites, impulse purchases, and long-awaited hardback pre-orders. And even though I don’t have any regrets about any of that, my poor little house has been complaining about it. So maybe, just maybe, it is time to start reading more of the books …
This year I hit a bit of a reading bucket list goal: I read 100 books in one year. And then a few more. I know, I know – quality not quantity, enjoyment over numbers, it’s not a competition. I have always preached that, and will always believe it. However. As I exceeded my reading …
I really enjoyed the Realmathon back in May, and have been looking for a similar reading challenge ever since. The Spookoplathon is a spooky season readathon hosted by booktuber Becca and the Books. The rules are easy: roll the dice, move around the Spookopoly board, and add a book to your TBR for each prompt …
I must have been living under a rock, because all these years of reading Japanese literature had failed to unearth the work of Junji Ito. Ito is well reknowned for his horror stories, and the fact he illustrates his own work too. I wonder if part of the success of his writing is having the …
ZOO is a translated collection of short horror stories by Japanese writer Otsuichi. The stories range in length from half a dozen chapters to just a couple of pages, but they all have one thing in common: they all challenged my preconceptions of the horror genre. There is a brilliant quote in the afterword by …
That’s a wrap! Realmathon is over, and I’ve had a blast. I set myself some ambitious goals at the beginning of the month, hoping to tackle 6 books in particular for this reading challenge. I managed to read 3 from that original list, and a 4th (Cursed Bunny) that I started at the end of …
A few years ago, I ran an online book club with two friends, and had the delight of sending author Rebbeca Raisin some questions about her cosy romantic read, The Little Bookshop on the Seine. Though the project wrapped up a long time ago now, I really wanted to archive the interview, as I still recommend …
At the beginning of the year, I set myself what I considered to be a very ambitious challenge: I would read 70 books in 2023. Three months in, and finishing my 36th book, I am reminded about my family’s blessing (or curse), which enables us to single-mindedly steamroll towards our priorities once we’ve decided on …
