The 52 week book challenge

When I was a kid, I was basically best friends with our village librarian. The library had a minuscule children’s section, and by the time I went to secondary school I had read every. single. book. in. it. One of the hilarious consequences of this was that I had a vast but very dated vocabulary, thanks to a taste for Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

I’ve always devoured books like they’re going out of fashion, but studying English at university put a bit of a damper on things. Reading Moll Flanders will do that to a gal. As much as I read loads of books I’d never otherwise have picked up, I also had to read a lot that I didn’t really enjoy.

Since graduating I’ve done more reading for pleasure, but it’s been quite sporadic - I’ll read five or six books on a week long holiday, then none for the next couple of months.

In an attempt to become a more habitual reader again, I decided this year that my New Year’s Resolution would be to read one book a week in 2017.

Reader, it is the first serious resolution I have ever made with the intention of keeping it, and so far I’ve managed to stick to it. I’ve not always read one per week, sometimes I’ve missed a week and had to read like the clappers to catch up again, but it’s week 21 and so far, I’m on track.

I was never a big watcher of TV, and committing to reading a book each week has definitely made me watch even less - it’s almost never a more tempting prospect than whatever is on my bedside table.

So far in 2017 I have read:

The End of The World Running Club - Adrian J Walker

Conclave - Robert Harris

You Are Dead - Peter James

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All - Jonas Jonasson

Great Small Things - Jodi Picoult

Snowdrops - A. D. Miller

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simison

Orphan X - Gregg Hurwitz

Next - Michael Crichton

The Scar - China Mieville

Bristol Short Story Anthology 2012

The Good Liar - Nicholas Searle

The Good Immigrant (anthology)

Police - Jo Nesbo

Number9Dream - David Mitchell

A Short History of Tractors in the Ukraine - Marina Lewycka

The Girl on the Landing - Paul Torday

127 Hours - Aron Ralston

When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi

A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick

How to Be Both - Ali Smith

The Power - Naomi Alderman

It’s an eclectic selection, but I’ve enjoyed all of them in their own way. So far, my top pick is The Good Immigrant I think, and now that I’ve started blogging, I might write some mini-reviews of the books I’ve read once a month.

Are you much of a reader? What’s the best book you’ve read lately? I’m always looking for the next great read...