2024 Reading Challenge - A book a week.

I set myself a challenge in 2023 to read a book a week and passed my target, by reading 57 books. I decided to carry on with this challenge in 2024. 

I was off to a slow start not starting until the 2nd week, but I'm into the swing of it now and I've completed 17 books by the end of April. I needed to read 4 books in May to get back on target. I managed to read 3 in a week.

By the end of June I was only 1 book behind schedule. I really need to focus on getting back on track to a book a week, rather than binge reading to catch up.

I will read more during the holidays and I know there will be times when I read a book a day. It helps working in a school where I have access to a wide range of books that are read in lessons as well as having access to a well stocked library and my mum and aunts read a lot so we swop books frequently.

It's August now and I'm still behind with the reading, only read 27 books and I should be at 35 by the end of the month, but it's the school holiday and I'm currently in Turkey for 2 weeks with a pile of newly obtained easy read books. I should reach my target by the end of the month.

I started to get back on track in September, then in October our daughter died and it was a while before I felt like doing anything again. My first thought was to ditch everything, all our plans, but I slowly came to realise that doing nothing meant I would achieve nothing. It's all baby steps, what I feel comfortable with. I enjoy reading, so I've decided to resume the challenge. It's my challenge so no losing to be had. No failure involved and no external pressures.

By November the reading challenge came to an end. I was only challenging myself, as soon as I put a tiny amount of pressure on myself I stopped enjoying reading and that defeated the whole purpose. I read a lot with my job. I've got piles of books still to read, I'll carry on keeping a diary of what I've read during 2025, because I enjoy it and I want to.

January

The Long Forgotten - David Whitehouse. 

A long lost black box from an aeroplane found in the body of a dead whale, a crime scene cleaner on an adventure around the world to find the rarest flowers, leads to a young man named Dove discovering his identity. 

The Missing - C.L. Taylor. 

A missing 15 year old boy and family secrets unravelling. Is the mother's instinct right that her family aren't involved in his disappearance?

Better Off Dead - Lee Child and Andrew Child.

Reacher in another 'minding his own business' and getting dragged into something dangerous and coming out as the hero of the day.

My not so Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella

Living the dream, on instagram, in the hope it'll come true one day, not realising all those perfect lives online were just that, online, and not real either.

I abandoned Buenos Aires after a couple of pages as I couldn't get into the style of writing to discover it was a Mills and Boon.

February

I've lined up Six books to read this month, with half term there will be plenty of time to read, I've already started on David Copperfield.

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

A story of the exploitation of the poor and the weak, told through the eyes of young David and following him into adulthood where he helps those affected get their revenge on Uriah Heep. 

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman.

A group of pensioners solve a 50 year old crime by linking it to a modern day murder, not realising the murderer is now amongst them and a reasonably good guy.

The Girl with all the gifts - M. R. Carey

I'm glad I read this rather than watching it online. It's sci-fi, dystopian future, zombie hungries taking over the world. I really enjoyed it, it has to be read to be appreciated.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - Ken Kesey

A story I'm familiar with from the movie, but so much more to it reading the book. Narrated by a patient Chief Bromden. McMurphy fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a hospital rather than a prison work farm. he attacks Nurse Ratched after she causes a patient to kill himself after her cruel treatment. Ratched then performs a lobotomy on McMurphy who ends up in a vegetative state and Chief Bromden suffocates him to end his suffering then escapes from the cuckoos nest.

Metaphysical Poetry - Forward by Colin Burrow

Poetry by John Donne studied for A Level English Literature, studied in detail and most of George Herbert.

Stone Cold - Robert Swindell A Tutor Read book in school.

A story of homelessness and a series killer taking advantage of no-one missing them, until Link discovers where his friend died. The murderer is then locked up with a bed and 3 meals a day while Link is left on the streets to survive.

March

I've decided not to line up any books to read as I was putting too much pressure on myself to read and I've been reading books in school as part of tutor reads, that I haven't listed on here yet.

I'm also re reading Handmaids Tale, Frankenstein, Streetcar Named Desire and The Great Gatsby as well as going back and forth with King Lear ready for the A Levels in May.

I also buy The Sunday Times each week and read it throughout the week.

We spent a week with our 2 and a half year old grandson and he loves to read so I've read so many story books this week, most of them twice.

Here are the books I've read this month:

One Day - David Nicholls

I started watching this on Netflix and realised I'd seen the 2011 movie with Anne Hathaway, which I felt was a better version, until I read the book whilst watching the Netflix series. The book is far better than both and in a slightly different order with both Dexter and Emma getting the chance to tell both sides of the story from their point of view as it is happening rather than reminiscing in a short scene with a lot of guess work from the viewer to piece it together, even if you've watched the series and the movie, I highly recommend you read the book, just for the ending alone.

A Death in the Parish - The Reverend Richard Coles

A ritualistic killing that happens a third of the way into the book and way too many characters to know who solved the crime, if anyone, it sort of solved itself.

The Problem with Perfect - Philip William Stover 

LGBQT style Icon goes missing so producer Ethan tracks down his rugged twin brother, can he transform him, fool his bosses and save his job?

Still Thinking of You - Adele Parks.                                                                                                                   Tash and Rich are getting married but will Rich's old university friends spoil their big day as their secrets unravel?

April

I've got quite a few Lee Child's Jack Reacher to be getting on with and several real crime books I've been accumulating to read. As the books pass between family and friends, I've started a marking system so I know which way to pass them as I've sort of become the gatekeeper of the books, so once I've read them, they get marked with a X, when they come in from my mum they get a O and from my aunt a _. Once they've got the 3 marks they can go to friends who can pass them on and I can welcome new books back into the fold.

61 Hours - Lee Child. 61 Hours to solve the crime. Two good people get killed along the way and the book ends with us not knowing if Reacher survives a blast or not.

Angels - Marian Keyes. A marriage ends or does it. A new life calls in California. Is it an opportunity for a new life or can you never escape reality?

The Midnight Line - Lee Child. A chance find in a pawn shop takes Reacher down a dark road of discovery.

May

There has been a lot of research into autism awareness and training this month, so no books read in the first 3 weeks, but I hope to rectify that with a week off school the last week of the month. I needed to read 4 books in that time. I do like a challenge. I managed 3. I read one a day.

The Man Who Dies Twice - Richard Osman. Elizabeths ex husband comes back into her life with stories about stolen diamonds, mobsters and a threat to his life. 

My sister, the serial killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite. Every time the younger sister ends a relationship, she kills the boyfriend, then calls her older sister to clear up the scene and remove the body. 

The Vow - Debbie Howells. Two weeks before their wedding Amy's fiancé, Matt disappears. he's been leading a double life, but it goes far deeper than that.

June

I've picked up the last two Thursday Murder Club books to read this month which I read quickly and found myself away for the weekend with nothing to read, so picked up a thick Marion Keyes to tide me over. The Lee child novel, took me over into July by a day.

The Bullet that Missed - Richard Osman. Kidnapped by the 'Viking' and tasked to kill a former KGB agent whilst trying to solve the murder of a missing woman and dealing with her husband's battle with dementia.

The Last Devil to Die - Richard Osman. Missing drugs from Afghanistan and a priceless pot with a rising body count and the demise of Elizabeths husband and quite a few tears shed as I was reading.

The Other Side of the Story - Marion Keyes. Old friends, bitter rivalries. 3 stories intertwined, heart ache, loss and new beginnings.

The Monkey's Raincoat - Robert Crais. Private Detective Elvis Cole is hired to find Ellen's missing husband and son.

Make Me - Lee Child. Reacher's one day stop at Mother's Rest leads him to the hidden depths of the internet, after he finds a woman waiting for a missing colleague.

July

Only 2 grown up books this month and 3020 children's books read to and with my grandson. He's not 3 till November, but he lets you read every single word on every page, before he goes back through each page and retells you the story from the pictures that the words din't communicate then picks his next book. He's such a joy to read with.

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller  I loved this book and it made me laugh in certain places at the irony of it, thinking of how many times this applies to so many things today.

Better Left Unsent - Lia Louis Another one of those books where everything turns out alright at the end, girl gets rejected by love of her life, hits rock bottom, friends rally, man of her dreams is waiting in the wings for her to realise the ex is rotten and greats her with open arms and they go off together into the sunset to their new high powered jobs together.

Tractor Ted x 20

Paw Patrol x 3000

August

All easy by the pool/on the beach holiday reads, left behind for others to enjoy. A book read every couple of days. I've got 6 books with me and I'll easily read another 2 when we get back so I'll be back on target by September.

The Promise - Lucy Diamond 

Dan's steps up to looks after his sister law and nephews when his brother dies, blaming himself for night he died, he over steps the mark, and unearths his brothers secret life.

Life Swop - Jane Green 

Single magazine editor in London swops life with a married SAHM in American for a feature in a magazine. Will they both return to their old lives after a month happy, or will there be changes?

Blood Lines - Angela Marsons

Two unlinked victims, same method of murder. Then a letter from convicted sociopath who Kim the Detective put behind bars, a letter from Kim's mother, the same mother who Kim watched kill her younger brother when they were children. How is this all connected?

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

Two friends driving to Scotland to get to a friends wedding have a minor bump, to discover it's the ex and his mate. Along with the Bride to be's stalker from the office, the 5 of them squash into the car, will they make it on time, will all be forgiven?

Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell

Miranda meets Greg, Greg has just left his pregnant wife but doesn't think it's a big deal. Miranda doesn't need to know, but like all stories, the truth comes out in the end and Mirandas true love was there all along, she doesn't know.

Die Trying - Lee Child

Reacher helps a young woman when she stumbles and ends up getting kidnapped alongside her, she is the daughter and granddaughter of the Chairmand and the President of the FBI, together they manage to bring down and escape their kidnappers.

September

There have been a couple of re reads for English GCSE as I'm tutoring this year so I need to really be up on the texts. There was also a Tutor reads I joined in with several year 9s.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens Exploring themes of greed, poverty and redemption.

Lord of the Flies - William Golding  Exploring themes of civilisation vs savagery, The nature of evil and Man v's nature.

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck  Exploring themes of isolation and loneliness 

The boy who steals houses, the girl who steals his heart - C.G Drews

A young boy facing homelessness, abuse and the consequences of his violent actions and the importance of support, family and belonging.

October

Nothing was read in October.

November

It was the second week in November before I picked a book up, I really don't feel like reading at all at the moment, but once I set myself a challenge, I do like to see things through. Only another 15 books to go. There's 6/7 weeks left of the years and we're away over Christmas so I can get at least 4-5 read during that time, so the target isn't unreachable.

Welcome to Ferry Lane Market - Nicola May

A quick and easy read, typical 'can girl get man and job of her dreams?' What's holding her back in her home town? Is it just herself or others? Will the fall out with her older sister and her mother who abandoned her be resolved? 

December

The Tempest - William Shakespeare 

Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare