I’m as giddy as a school girl as I write this.

Overwhelmed that I managed to complete this goal and still have months of reading left in the year. Makes me think I should set an even higher reading goal for 2020.

Did I ever think I would complete this goal?

At the beginning of 2019, absolutely not. In 2018 I had a goal of reading 100 books but only read 58. 2018 was stressful and a lot of the times I could have been reading, I was wrapped in a burrito duvet. I knew that if I wanted to complete the goal that I’d have to be serious about it. I have always loved reading but during 2017-2018 I entered a book slump where I really didn’t read much. I was so excited to start reading in Jan 2019. I went a little crazy ordering books in the sale, and haven’t been able to curb my book buying since. I feel very accomplished to have completed my goal and still have four months of the year left.

How does it feel having read 100 books?

Mind-blowing. I live in a world where no one around me seems to read. I’ve heard every excuse under the sun for why my work colleagues haven’t got the time to read and all but 1 of my friend’s don’t read. Starting this blog has given me an outlet and a place where I can talk about books without somebody giving me the glazed eye and a deaf ear. It sounds silly, but reading 100 books in a year is up there with graduating from university and passing my driving test. I’m very proud of myself.

Top ten reads of the 100? [Links to Reviews]

1. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas
2. Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll
3. The Storm Keepers Island by Catherine Doyle
4. The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
5. A Girl Called Justice by Elly Griffiths
6. With Our Blessing by Jo Spain
7. The Corset by Laura Purcell
8. Sleep by C L Taylor
9. Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan
10. The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

What books left on my TBR am I excited to read this year?

1. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
2. The Fire Maker by Peter May
3. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
4. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
5. Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman
6. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
7. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
8. The Burning chambers by Kate Mosse
9. Taking Hollywood by Shari King
10. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
11. Killing Floor by Lee Child
12. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
13. Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

What books have I abandoned from the 100 and why? [Links to Amazon]

Sweetpea by C J Skuse

I love psychological thrillers and was looking forward to reading this but I only made it to chapter three before I decided that it wasn’t the book for me. It was very dark and unapologetic about what it was and thought it was tagged as ‘a hilarious, shocking and original thriller with a heroine you’ll never forget’ on Amazon, it just made me feel sick and shiver in an unhappy way.

In Bloom by C J Skuse

This was the follow up book to the above and I didn’t read it for obvious reasons.

The Doctor by Lisa Stone

I made it to chapter six before I called it quits. It is very well written and the characters are fully formed and complex but I knew what was going to happen by chapter six and there was no enjoyment for me going forward.

The Moonlight Garden by Corina Bomann

I thought this was going to be more mysterious and interesting but I found the first couple of chapters hard to read and there wasn’t a driving force to push the story forward. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen but the mundane seemed to take precedent and I got bored.

I know Who You Are by Alice Feeney

Another psychological thriller that I couldn’t get to grips with. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. The characters didn’t sync with me and I couldn’t pull myself into the story. It became a chore to read, so I gave up in the end.

I still have about 60 books to be read, shelved in my room and countless ones to be read on my kindle. I’m not going to put a goal on the rest of the year but see where it takes me and how many books I’m left with at the end of the year!