Tag: murder at the highland castle

Monthly Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up!

theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is the end of August and that means it is time to share my wrap up for the month.

In the UK, August is the summer holidays for most people, lots of people have time off and the kids aren’t in school so it’s always a busy month for my family, especially now that my Sister has a new baby. Alongside that I’m still plodding along with my PhD and we have been redecorating the dining room. It’s not left a lot of time for reading, however, I have been reading such good books lately that it’s looking like August will be one of my best months for reading and the most books I have read in a month so far this year.

What has your reading looked like in August? Have you read any great books? Any not so great books?

My August Wrap Up: From my TBR

  • A Novel Murder – I started this book and I am counting it as read because I actually ended up DNF’ing this book. At 24 pages. That is so early in a book to decide not to carry on but I could not get along with the main character, she was so self-pitying it was every few sentences my life is awful and I was losing the will to read.
  • A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber – I did read this and that means I have finally finished the whole Caraval and Once Upon A Broken Heart series’. I loved this book, it was so close to being a five star and was easily my favourite book in the series even though it contains one of my most hated tropes. I thought it was done well.
  • How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin – I did read this. This is the second book in the Castle Knoll mystery series. I did not like the first book, How To Solve Your Own Murder, but this second book surprised me because I actually enjoyed it and gave it four stars. I will give a deeper insight to my thoughts in a book review coming the 15th September.
  • Fearless by Lauren Roberts – What I think is the final book in the Powerless series. I am currently reading this and as I am typing I will be finishing this book today.
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – I did read this and I will be giving a spoiler filled review on the 19th September.
  • This Monster of Mine – I have not read this yet but I still have ten days before the end of the month so I am still planning on finishing this one.
  • Knife Skills for Beginners – another book I am yet to read but I do still plan to read this before the end of the month.

Outside of my TBR I also read: Grimstone by Sophie Lark. Murder at the Highland Castle, Murder at the Island Hotel and Murder on the French Riviera by Helena Dixon and Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.

This brings my current total for the month to: 10 so far, but if I manage to get to those two final books on my TBR then it would bring my total to 12 and easily be the month so far this year that I have read the most books even though it has also been my busiest month so far.

Monthly Wrap Ups

July Wrap Up!

theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today, it is the first of August and that means it is time for my monthly wrap up of what I did and what I read in July.

I don’t know about any of you but July was crazy busy for me, every time I thought I would have a day to myself to relax it got filled with something else and so heading into August I’m pretty much exhausted constantly. And now it is the summer holidays, so I’ll be even busier. Anyway, nevermind. I still managed to get some good books read in July and hopefully I will be able to do the same in August.

From my July TBR:

  • Us In Ruins by Rachel Moore – I have not read this. I am at the end of the month and it is this and one other book left on my TBR, I just don’t have enough time to get to it this month.
  • Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi – I am currently reading, and enjoying this book. Actually as I am writing this I plan on finishing this book tonight.
  • A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry – I did read this. The third book in the series following Dr Will Raven in Edinburgh, The series has taken a turn I was not expecting and I am currently unsure if I like where this seems to be going or not but I guess we will see.
  • Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this. I have kept it on my book cart because there is still a chance I will get to it by the end of this month but if not I might find time next month.
  • A Deadly Night At The Theatre by Katy Watson – I did read this. The next installment in the Three Dahlias series. I enjoyed how this time we saw the three women a bit at odds with each other, it made them seem more human in a way which I liked although some of the plot felt a little forced it was still a great book.
  • The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine – I did read this and I did not really enjoy it. This is the third book in the series, there is a fourth but I don’t think I am going to read it.
  • Murder at the Village Fair by Helena Dixon – I did read this. This is book 12? maybe? of the Miss Underhay series and as with all the others, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Outside of my TBR I also read Murder at the Highland Castle by Helena Dixon. This means I have read six books this month which I am pretty pleased about, it could have been better and I could have rushed those last two books but I hope to enjoy both of them so, perhaps I will read them in August.

One thing I have been doing recently is I have a book journal where I write down what books I have read and when and this new one that I got online has monthly pages that you fill in which books are your favourite and least favourite of the month which then goes into a chart to show the best book of the year.

My favourite book this month was….. A Deadly Night at the Theatre by Katy Watson

My least favourite book was….. The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine, unfortunately I just do not get the same enjoyment from this series as I used to.

What were your favourite reads of this month?