So it is getting horribly close to the end of 2013 (where has it all gone?!) which means that I only have one month left to squeeze in the last books to hit my target of reading 75 books between 1st January and 31st December.

I didn’t get off to a very good start in November by having the type of flu where I couldn’t even read because I was too shivery and feverish to focus which meant that it got to about the 18th before I had read anything but my Parragon review book. But then I knew I needed to make an effort and kick started myself again and finished four books in three days!

So in November I have read:

Wakey, Wakey, Big Brown Bear! by Tracey Corderoy, 4/5*: Full Review Here

Blackwater by Conn Iggulden, 5/5*: I picked up this novella entirely at random in the library – something about the front cover drew me in so I took a punt on it. I had vaguely heard of the author although I’ve not read any of his other work. After this though, I might just go hunt them down. In just 80 pages Iggulden took you through the main character’s colourful history up to the present day, through fear and love and desperation and never let the pace drop. I didn’t see the end coming at all – I thought I had it all figured out and then suddenly everything went the other way. Fantastic thriller and a quick read to boot.

Secrets, Lies & Locker 62 by Lil Chase, 4/5*:
Every now and then I get the urge to pick up a good old contemporary teen girly-novel and this was perfect. I liked the title – it had a bit of mystery about it – and that mystery carried you through what was really a typical American High-School coming-of-age novel with lipstick and algebra. The characters were predictable but charming and it was easy and enjoyable to read. I romped through it, wanting to know what was coming next all the way through to the end. It was nice to read a teen novel that wasn’t trying to be edgy or risqué for a change.

The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beaumont, 2/5*: Full review here

The Year Of The Flood (MaddAddam #2) {Unabridged Audiobook} by Margaret Atwood, 4/5*: I have absolutely no idea what was going on in this but I really quite enjoyed it. The characters were well constructed and defined so the constant switching between narrators was bearable and not too confusing and the world building was excellent. The whole thing felt very surreal though and I was never completely sure of what was happening or why but I got the impression that this was deliberate. I am tempted to hunt down the other books in the series now to see if I can figure out this Waterless Flood/plague/armageddon thingummy.

Canal Dreams by Iain Banks, 4/5*: Clearly this was just a month of books that leapt around and made very little coherent sense. Iain Banks is a beautiful writer and I quite enjoyed this book although it did take a while to get going initially. There were numerous dream scenes and flashbacks which were a little disorienting at times and the climax of the book was a total bloodbath – not one for the fainthearted, that’s for sure!

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa, 4/5*: This series frustrates me. I mostly love it but there is something about the writing that I don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it and most of the time it doesn’t bother me but other times I find myself pulled out of the story by clumsy writing. The overall storyline is brilliant however and I both laughed out loud and cried sadly/angrily at different points. I do love stories about the Fey written by authors who clearly love the original mythology of faeries and know that they aren’t all pretty flowers and sparkly wands. Bloodythirsty, deceiving and sly – faeries make for great reading when they are done right and I love it.

Tithe by Holly Black, 5/5*: I really loved this book. As dark and twisted as the original faerie tales of legend there was a bitter edge to the story, even through the romance. I liked this grit and will definitely be looking up the second book!

The Fall by Anthony McGowan, 3/5*: A curious tale of growing up and coming of age, friendship and fear. I quite enjoyed this book and loved how much was fitted in to such a short piece, the characters were bold and rounded and the world building was excellent.

Wolf by Tommy Donbavand, 3/5*: A very simple and quick read, well written and nicely illustrated with a twist in the tail that I didn’t see coming.
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This little lot brings me up to 71/75 – breaking that 65 book point felt good. Less than ten books felt manageable and hitting 70 felt even better – all I need to do now is keep my head down and see if I can smash my target instead of just scraping it!!

The books I am carrying over from this month to next are:

The Girl in the Mask by Marie-Louise Jensen

Mr Right for the Night by Marisa Mackle

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Awaken by Meg Cabot

I will hopefully be joining in with the House of Blog Book club again too.

Fingers crossed my next summary post will be a celebratory one – wish me luck! 🙂