We made it through January and it’s time for my first update on the reading challenge.

Only seven of ten

I’m already three books behind and I blame Netflix. I’m more than determined to exceed this month’s now 13 books goal. Let me break down the challenge and what I read.

1. A book with more than 500 pages (audiobook of more than 8 hours)
2. A classic romance
3. A book that was made into a movie/TV series (sometimes books are created from the movie/series; we’ll allow that too)
4. A book published this year
5. A book with a number in the title
6. A book you can finish in a day
7. A book set in a location you’ve always wanted to visit
8. A book that was first published in the year you were born
9. A book with bad reviews (I usually say life is too short to waste on bad books, but if you select one specifically for this challenge you should finish it and tell me why you think it got bad reviews, do you agree, etc.)
10. A book from your childhood
11. A series – two or more books. Starting a series that you can’t read more of one book of because only one’s been published doesn’t count.
12. A mystery
13. A thriller
14. A non-fiction
15. A book with a colour in the title
16. A book that made you cry
17. A book you chose based on its cover
18. A book a friend recommended
19. A book your mom/dad loves
20. A memoir
21. A book from a genre you usually avoid.

The books

From most recent:

The Broken Ones by Sarah A. Denzil a thriller, number 13
500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan third of the Scottish Bookshop series (number 11) and a book with a number in the title (number 5)
The Mad Sculptor by Harold Schechter true crime, meeting the number 14 non-fiction criteria
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore did not qualify for anything on the list
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. This was the second time I read this book, a memoir (number 20) that was made into a movie in 2006 (number 3). I’m now looking for that movie
Missing Person by Sarah Lotz, another 13, this time by a local author I’ve had the privilege to knit a three-metre scarf for
Worth More Dead by Ann Rule, another 14

What’s next?

I have literally just finished my first book for February (I’m listening to the author’s note at the end as I type this) but I’m not telling you what it is, yet. Check back next month. I will say it’s a solid three stars. Did not live up to the hype around it from last year (it wasn’t published last year, but COVID-19 was :D)