Guys, it’s happening! One of my New Year’s resolutions for this year was to read more books, and I can proudly say I’m trying to read at least a chapter a night before going to bed. That’s progress, trust me.
I was the biggest bookworm as a child. I worked my way up the reading levels ladder at school really quickly, and I consumed books within two or three days of getting them as I got older.
And then it just stopped. I became so consumed with my social media and my blog, another form of creative output, shall we say, and reading books took a step back for a long, long time. I’ve probably read a handful of books over the years, and that makes me sad because I used to love reading. Nowadays, it feels like I don’t have the time, but I’m now trying to make the time where I can to read and fall in love with reading again.
Nearby to where I live, there’s this old telephone box that’s now become a mini book drop-off and pick-up point. So I’ve managed to get a fair few books to stock up my to-read list. Without further ado, here are ten books that I’m going to start reading and hopefully get through by the end of the year. And if I read any more? Well, that’s a bonus.
1. A Court Of Mist And Fury
Let’s start with the one I’m currently reading, A Court of Mist and Fury, which is the second book in the series of four or five. So this list of ten books is actually 13 or 14. This book series was recommended to me by a bestie who is an absolute bookworm herself, and she was incredibly adamant about reading these books.
She described it as fairy porn, which I mean, she’s not wrong. It’s definitely got some highly charged sex scenes within the book. Probably one of the many reasons why the series is so popular. However, what I’m loving about the books is the detail it goes into. I never watched Game of Thrones, but the detail in these books reminds me of that world. I sailed through the first book, which was probably the first time in a long time that I’d read a book so quickly.
This one is taking a little longer to get into, but I’m starting to get the feel for it now.
2. The Bones Beneath
Fyi, you’re going to see a lot of the same genre with the books I read. I very rarely venture away from crime and thriller novels, but with this list, I’ve tried my best to vary it somewhat so that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Saying that The Bones Beneath is one written by Mark Billingham. I’m a reader who will definitely forget books I’ve read, and the name of this author sounds familiar, so maybe I’ve read something of his before.
Tom Thorne is the main character, and the blurb describes him as returning for another thriller, so it seems as though this could be an author I’m going to need to search for to find other ones following what I think is this detective, Tom Thorne.
3. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
Now, for a time, I worked at Penguin Random House as a Junior PA. One of the perks of working there was that I had a whole library of current and upcoming books that I could take for free. Let me tell you, I took full advantage of that. I would bring stacks of books home to read, and this was around the time that I was still reading pretty heavily.
So this one, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while. Written by Katarina Bivald, it’s a New York Times Bestseller, so you know it’s got to be good. The blurb describes the story following a girl called Sara who moves away from Sweden at the age of 28 and moves to a place called Broken Wheel,s where she sets up a bookshop. Definitely sounds like a warm and cosy read with a good frothy coffee.
4. Tennison
I’m the type of reader who will get drawn into a book based on what it looks like from the outside, as well as giving the blurb a quick once-over. With Tennison, it was the size of the book that got me. It’s also written by Lynda LaPlante, who is known for being the writer behind several shows, including Above Command, The Commander, Trial and Retribution, and Prime Suspect.
This is the story that’s a precursor to Prime Suspect. Granted, I’ve never seen Prime Suspect, so I’ve got no clue about what to expect from this book. There was no blurb on the back of the book, which was interesting to me, so I’m keen to get started on this one.
5. Icebreaker
My gorgeous best friend works at Waterstones, aka the dream job if you’re a lover of books. And with that comes a knowledge hub of book recommendations. Icebreaker isn’t probably my go-to for books, as from the cover, it feels a bit like a teen drama/romance story. HOWEVER, I am opening myself up to more genres, and my friend Maria has recommended it, so I know it’s going to be a good one.
Seems like from the blurb, that it’s going to be that enemies to lovers type of story, which I am secretly a sucker for when it comes to televison shows and films. Again, it’s a book that’s been sitting on my bookshelf for a time, so I’m looking forward to reading it.
6. The Hunting Party
Ok, this is one that I’m unsure about, in that I’m not quite sure whether I’ve read this already. It feels like I may have picked up The Hunting Party, read a couple of chapters, and then put it down.
So I may find this one is either one I’ve read and I’ll need to strike it from the list, or I’ll just need to familiarise myself by starting from the beginning, even if I have read a considerable amount of it.
Of course, it’s a crime thriller, and looks like a ‘who dunnit’ murder situation where everyone’s been invited along for a weekend together.
7. Local Girl Missing
Looking at this one compared to the other ones, I’m not confident that this will be the best read. It looks fairly basic in the title, Local Girl Missing. But saying that, it’s by a best-selling author.
Again, I’m drawn to the imagery used on the front of the book and the blurb, which is essentially a local woman who goes missing. It doesn’t look like a long read either, so it might be one worth picking up next.
8. You are a Badass – How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life
Quite possibly the longest title in the history of book titles. However, I feel like a lot of these self-help and inspirational books tend to have a long title to draw you in. Again, another New York Times Bestseller and one I think I nabbed during my time at PRH.
I’ve not really read any self-help books, but I feel like I need to start investing in myself and who I am as a person to kind of draw out a more confident side.
9. Death in the Arctic
Well, what a surprise – another crime thriller. Death in the Arctic piqued my interest and is from our local phone box book stop. Written by a Sunday Times Best Selling Author (Tom Hindle), I found one of the reviews at the bottom of the page being the thing that got me to pick it up.
‘Full of Christie-esque twists, turns and thrills. I’m a big fan of Agatha Christie’s novels, so I really needed no more convincing to select this book as one to read. I also love crime and thriller novels that are set in environments that are fairly remote or that have little access to the outside world when a murder has been committed.
10. How To Build A Girl
To round off my book list, another one that has been sitting on the shelf for a good while now is How to Build A Girl by Caitlin Moran. This one is actually a Sunday Times No. 1 Best Seller and is described on the book’s front as being a ‘laugh-out-loud funny’ read. I do love Caitlin Moran, and I don’t know why I haven’t read this book yet, as, despite it not being my usual genre, it definitely looks like a fun read.
So those are my ten books to read this year. Let’s hope I get through them, and I’m going to try to do a little mini review of them all over the course of the year if I get a chance. Of course, I’ll certainly update you if I’ve managed to read them all and have a fresh list ready to go. What books would you recommend I read? Let me know in the comments below.
