2025 Reading Challenge discussion

2014 - 85 books. Bring it year! I will of course be ordering my dates in the UK form because putting a month before day confuses me endlessly.

January
This month I went on holiday so I read a lot of average beach reads and stuff that was already on my kindle.

1. Good Eats by Elle Chambers. Finished 1/1/14. *****
I read this on the plane to Tunisia because I just couldn't wait until I got there. It was an amazing read and although I don't like horror stories, Elle Chambers makes me want more.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Finished 4/1/14. *****
I was originally reading something else but my brother's gf had the book and was enjoying the beginning of it so I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did.

3. Fool for Love by Harper Bliss. Finished 6/1/14. ***
An enjoyable enough read but I didn't really like some of the characters or find them sympathetic.

4. Undisclosed Desires by Harper Bliss. Finished 7/1/14. ***

5. The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson. Finished 9/1/14. ****
I really enjoyed this book, at times some of the characters annoyed me but mostly I absolutely loved it.

6. Seriously... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres. Finished 17/1/14. ***
I love Ellen but this book was just sort of average, I would definitely have enjoyed it more on audiobook.

7. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Finished 28/1/14. ***
I gave this book 3 stars but the more time passes since I finished it the more I think about it, this book has really done a number on me.

You're doing great Stefani! Is Harper Bliss a favorite author of yours?

Thanks. Not really, it was the first time I'd read any of her books but they were only my kindle from recommendations and I wanted some poolside reading because I spent the first week of the year on holiday :)

February
I didn't get much read this month, life and health got in the way.

8. No Ordinary Love by Harper Bliss. Finished 24/2/14. **

9. Close Enough by Harper Bliss. Finished 25/1/14. **

March

10. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Pahlaniuk. Finished 8/3/14. ****
This is another one of those books that has really stuck with me. I couldn't say I enjoyed it because Pahlaniuk books are always too twisted to be truly enjoyable but I loved it.

11. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. Finished 8/3/14. **
I just didn't love it, it was eery enough but completely predictable.

12. Crimson Honor: Gathering Storm Act One by TD Jester. Finished 15/3/14 ****
Loved it, far too short

13. Lazarus, Vol. 1: Family by Greg Rucka. Finished 19/3/14 ****
Such a fantastic story, completely pulls you into the world.

14. The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way. Finished 19/3/14 ****
I was a big MCR fan and liked the last album so was really glad to have a comic that expanded on the world

15. Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J Weibe. Finished 19/3/14 *****
The comic book I never realised I'd been waiting for until the rat queens smacked me round the face with both their sass and sorcery. Hilarious.

16. Painkiller Jane: The Price of Freedom by Jimmy Palmiotti. Finished 30/3/12. ***
The characters were funny and snarky but the artwork was pointlessly revealing. The cleavage and naked scenes offer nothing to the story, they are only there to please male readers which is an unfortunate but common thing in comics.

17. Batgirl, Vol. 4: Wanted by Gail Simone. Finished 31/3/14 ****
This was the first Batgirl comic I ever picked up and I'm so glad I did, Gail Simone is a fantastic writer.

18. A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin. Finished 31/3/14 ****

April

19. Miracleman, Vol. 1: A Dream of Flying by Alan Moore. Finished 3/4/14 **
I'll be honest, even at the risk of the wrath of a thousand fanboys, I just don't like Alan Moore

20. Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick by Matt Fraction. Finished 3/4/14 *****
Original and very, very funny

21. DragonFly by Charles A Cornell. Finished 14/4/14 ****
There were points during this book that I really wasn't sure about but I thoroughly enjoyed it, an original take on a well known era.

22. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Finished 16/4/14 ***
Not as good as some of his other work but still funny and touching.

23. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. Finished 21/4/14 *****
Truly incredible, a completely different story from the film and so much better (that's coming from a very big fan of the film).

24. Riding Fourth by MH Mead. Finished 21/4/14 ***

25. Impulse Control by Susan Bischoff. Finished 21/4/14 ***

26. Pawn by Aimee Carter. Finished 24/4/14 ***
Loved this, don't know what I was expecting when I started it but it wasn't this. So glad I gave it a shot.

May
I read a LOT of comics this month.

27. The Wise Man's Fear Patrick Rothfuss. Finished 7/5/14. *****
There's something about the way Rothfuss writes that I just love.

28. The Time Machine by HG Wells. Finished 12/5/14. **

29. Charlotte's Web by EB White. Finished 12/5/14 ****
Reread and it was just as wonderful as it was when I was young

30. Civil War: Thunderbolts by Nicieza, Fabian. Finished 15/5/14 **

31. Civil War: War Crimes by Tieri, Frank. Finished 15/5/14. ***

32. Civil War: Front Line, Vol. 1 by Jenkins, Paul. Finished 15/5/14 ****

33. Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike by Kelly Sue DeKonnick. Finished 19/5/14 ****
Beautiful artwork, at times I wasn't a fan of the story but DeKonnick won my heart in the end

34. Civil War by Mark Millar. Finished 19/5/14 ****

35. Civil War: Captain America by Brubaker, Ed. Finished 19/5/14 ****

36. Civil War: Fantastic Four by Straczynski, J. Michael. Finished 19/5/14 ***

37. Civil War: Front Line, Vol. 2 by Jenkins, Paul. Finished 19/5/14. ****

38. Civil War: Iron Man by Gage, Christos. Finished 19/5/14. ***

39. Civil War: Punisher War Journal by Fraction, Matt. Finished 19/5/14 ***

40. Runaways, Vol. 3: The Good Die Young by Brian K Vaughan. Finished 19/5/14 ****

41. From Hell by Alan Moore. Finished 23/5/14 **

42. THE WITCHING HOUR #1 by Various. Finished 25/5/14 ****

June
In June I started a reread of all the books by my favourite author, the name Christopher Brookmyre will be popping up in here a lot in anticipation of his new book coming out in January.

43. Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar. Finished 1/6/14. *****
A look at what the world would have been like if Superman had landed in Russia instead of America.

44. Rocket Girl Volume 1: Times Squared by Brandon Montclare. Finished 2/6/14 ****

45. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Finished 3/6/14 ***
I went through stages of loving and hating this, at one point I abandoned it but kept thinking about it so started from the beginning.

46. Day by Day Armageddon by JL Bourne. Finished 8/6/14. ****

47. Noise by Darin Bradley. Finished 8/6/14 ***

48. Beyond Exile by JL Bourne. Finished 8/6/14. **
An awful sequel, made me give up on the rest of the series.

49. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 23/6/14. *****
Fun and blood and puke from start to finish, complete perfection

July

50. Country Of The Blind by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 1/7/14. ****

51. Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess. Finished 14/7/14 ****
I read this book in my early teens and it stuck with me but I'd forgotten the name, I found it again and reread it, if this is the sort of book I enjoyed in my early teens then I can safely say I was a little twisted. Absolutely loved it the second time round too.

52. Not The End Of The World by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 21/7/14 ****
Brookmyre takes on America with hilarious consequences.

53. One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 28/7/14 ****

August

54. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Finished 4/8/14. ****
Read this on a buddy read and it was so creepy and sad.

55. Boiling a Frog by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 19/8/14 ****
My least favourite Brookmyre book and it is still worth 4 stars. Such a gifted writer.

56. A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 26/8/14 *****

57. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. Finished 28/8/14 **

58. Ghost Volume 1: In the Smoke and Din by Kelly Sue DeKonnick. Finished 29/8/14 **

59. Death Sentence by Monty Nero. Finished 29/8/14 **
Excellent plot idea wrapped up in sexism with a bow of unlikable characters

60. Harley Quinn, Vol. 1: Hot in the City by Amanda Connor Finished 29/8/14 ***

61. Katana, Vol. 1: Soultaker by Ann Nocenti. Finished 29/8/14 **

62. Avengers Arena, Vol. 1: Kill or Die by Dennis Hopeless. Finished 29/8/14 ****
Excellent start to a story that unfortunately went downhill

63. Avengers Arena, Vol. 2: Game On by Dennis Hopeless. Finished 29/8/14 ***

September
This month I started to go through my bookcase and read the books I think I won't want to keep. Anything that isn't a comic, Brookmyre or brand new is probably there because of that.

64. Avengers Arena, Vol. 3: Boss Level by Dennis Hopeless. Finished 30/8/14. ***

65. Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson. Finished 1/9/14 ****
Although off to an initially sketchy start I've started to really love this comic

66. Velvet, Vol. 1: Before the Living End by Ed Brubaker. Finished 1/9/14. ****

67. Batgirl, Vol. 5: Deadline by Gail Simone. Finished 1/9/14 ****

68. Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan. Finished 1/9/14 ****

69. Tomb Raider Volume 1 : Season of the Witch by Gail Simone. Finished 1/9/14 *****

70. Lazarus, Vol. 2: Lift by Greg Rucka. Finished 1/9/14 *****

71. Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg. Finished 10/9/14 ***

72. The Last Ark by Ben Portus. Finished 11/9/14 ***

73. Whistleblower by Tess Gerritsen. Finished 13/9/14 *
I hated this book from almost page 1, kept at it because I hate giving up and so I could laugh at it.

74. The Sacred Art of Stealing by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 17/9/14. *****
The second boom to feature Angelique. I adore this book, a fantastic heroine and I'm also a massive fan of Zal.

75. Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. Finished 20/9/14. ****

76. Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. Finished 22/9/14 **
It took me so much longer to finish this book than it should have. I kept putting it down out of boredom and then picking it back up because I found a couple if the characters interesting.

77. Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson. Finished 25/9/14 ****
Beautiful

78. The Fifth Vertex by Kevin Hoffman. Finished 29/9/14 ***

Full review for Of Things Gone Astray can be found at Bent Spines

Full review for The Fifth Vertex is over here

October

79. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Finished 1/10/14. ***
There wasn't a single character in this book that I actually liked, the premise was interesting enough though.

80. Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year at High School: The Merry Doings of the Oakdale Freshmen Girls by Jessie Graeme Flower. Finished 3/10/14 **
I listen to free Audiobooks at night to try and chill me out before sleeping and this fit into that perfectly.

81. I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff. Finished 9/10/14 ***

82. Meritropolis by Joel Ohman. Finished 14/10/14 **

83. Be My Enemy, Or, Fuck This for a Game of Soldiers by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 17/10/14 *****
This has always been my favourite Brookmyre book and I'm so happy I reread it. I was still as tense and hooked as the very first time I read it.

84. I Think I Can See Where You're Going Wrong: And Other Wise and Witty Comments from Guardian Readers by Marc Burrows. Finished 17/10/14 ***

85. Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School: The Record of the Girl Chums in Work and Athletics (The High School Girls Series, #2) by Jessie Graeme Flower. Finished 18/10/14 **

86. I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space #1 by Megan Rose Gedris. Finished 18/10/14 ***

87. The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke. Finished 20/10/14 **

88. Fearscape by Nenia Campbell. Finished 21/10/14 ****
I loved this book, it takes the bad boy trope and makes it a million times better.

89. Horrorscape by Nenia Campbell. Finished 28/10/14 ****
I didn't like this quite as much as the first book in the series but it was still gripping and thrilling.

90. Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life by David Mitchell. Finished 31/10/14. *
Hated this book, check out my full review posted in a comment below to see why.

Full review for I Am the Weapon is over here

Full review for Meritropolis can be found at Bent Spines

I FINISHED!!!


On the 18th I read my 85th book of the year. I'm going to see if I can make 100 by the end of the year (which is the most I've read in a year). To help my with this and because November is NaNoWriMo I will be giving up Netflix for the whole of November. I watch far too much on Netflix so going cold turkey is going to be difficult but I'm hoping that some decent books will get me through it.

Read the review for I Think I Can See Where You're Going Wrong over at Bent Spines

Read why I completely despised Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse over at Bent Spines

November

91. All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 1/11/14. ****

92. Captive by Aimee Carter. Finished 3/11/14. ***

93. Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. Finished 3/11/14 ****

94. Strong Female Protagonist Book One by Brennan Lee Mulligan. Finished 7/11/14 ****

95. Grace Harlowe's Junior Year at High School: Or Fast Friends in the Sororities by Jessie Graham Flower. Finished 9/11/14 **
Unfortunately the later books in this series have a different and very annoying librivox narrator so I won't be continuing them as bedtime listening.

96. A Tale Etched In Blood And Hard Black Pencil by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 14/11/14 ****

97. Attack Of The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 18/11/14 ***
This is the only one of my Brookmyre rereads which has lost a star on the second read. Not as brilliant as I used to think.

98. C.O.W.L. Volume 1: Principles of Power by Kyle Higgins. Finished 20/11/12 **

99. The Amazing Tale of Anna Himmel and the Gold Sovereign by Stevie Henden. Abandoned 20/11/14

100. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen. Finished 24/11/14 *****

101. Mr. Rumpel and Mr. Grimm by Echo Ishii. Finished 28/11/14 ***

102. Marly's Ghost by David Levithan. Finished 28/11/14 **

103. A Snowball in Hell by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 30/11/14 ****

My review for Captive by Aimee Carter is If It Had Been A Better Book I Would Have Called This Review ‘Captivating’

My review for Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher is To Whom It Definitely Doesn’t Concern

My review for Strong Female Protagonist

My review for The Amazing Tale of Anna Himmel and the Gold Sovereign is The Amazing Tale of my 100% Unfiltered Thoughts

My review for C.O.W.L. Volume 1: Principles of Power is Do Superheroes Get Sick Pay?

My review for The Wicked + The Divine

My review for Mr Rumpel and Mr Grimm

Congratulations, Stefani! You really exceeded your goal this year. Was there anything in particular that motivated you to read? What do you think your goal will be for 2015?

Thanks Cassandra! Part of my increase in reading came through having a horrible, boring job that's only plus side is being able to sneakily read when there are no customers in and part of it was because I had to escape into books to get me through the year. I'm trying to figure out how much to read next year, I'm torn between 100 or 110. I only read 79 books last year so I'm worried that I'll slack again next year and be down to that again.

I'm sorry your job is no fun, but I'm glad that you're at least able to sneak some reading in!

I was torn between 100 and 110 last year, so I went with 105. I think I'm going to go with that again.

Are you on track to reach your goal? I might end up going with 105 too.

I am! I had some hiccups in the middle of the year, but I was able to get back on track. I actually think with the Quick Reads quarterly challenge I will surpass my goal, but I'm planning on keeping it the same for next year and reading a few more long books.

I read a lot of comic volumes which means that I'm way down on page count from the pst few years. The Quick Reads challenge is a great idea.

December

104. Shutter, Vol. 1: Wanderlost by Joe Keating. Finished 6/12/14 ***

105. The Royals: Masters of War by Rob Williams. Finished 6/12/14 *

106. Super Secret Crisis War! Volume 1 by Louise Simonson. Finished 7/12/14 **

107. Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz. Finished 8/12/14 *

108. The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Finished 14/12/14 **

109. Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre. Finished 20/12/14 ****

110. The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks. Finished 21/12/14 ***

111. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Finished 24/12/14 ***

112. Where the Bodies Are Buried by Chris Brookmyre. Finished 27/12/14 ****

My review for Frozen is Not Frozen Just Tepid

My review for The Royals: Masters of War is The Royals: Master of Boredom