I can’t believe that February is already over… where is 2019 going?!
I got a new MacBook this month and it’s fab. My old MacBook was nearly seven years old and while it was still going okay the screen wasn’t helping my eyes. The Retina display on this new Mac is fabulous and much easier to look at. I’m also finding the new butterly keyboard easier to type on so while I do still use voice software a lot I’m hoping that easier typing might mean I can continue blogging when WordPress forces me to use the update that I’ve so far had to avoid.
I’m mortified to discover that WordPress wasn’t running right on my old MacBook and I now see that I’ve had a lot of lovely comments on my blog over the last few months that I hadn’t seen before. There’s no way I can catch up with them all but I will make sure to read them and will reply where I can manage to. Hopefully things will run smoothly now and I can reply to comments as they arrive. Thanks so much to all of you who’ve commented on any of my posts, I can only apologise for not replying to them.
Here are the 21 that books I read in January:
Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami
This was a fab short story that I got for my birthday in January and I loved it. It reminded me why I love Murakami’s writing and has made me want to pick up the novels of his that I so far haven’t read.
The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton
This was an interesting insight into how criminal psychology came to be used more in modern policing in this country. It’s one man’s story and look back over the cases he’s worked on.
Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox
This was a great read, so fast-paced and twisty. I hope to get a review written and posted before too much longer.
Trauma by Dr. Gordon Turnbull
This book is fascinating and I’m so glad I read it. It’s a look at how PTSD came to be a diagnosis in this country, and how the treatment of the condition has changed over the years. I definitely recommend this one!
East of England by Eamonn Griffin
I loved this book. It was so different to my normal kind of read but I very much enjoyed it. I’ve already reviewed this one so click the book title above if you’d like to know more.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
I part listened and part read this book and I found it so interesting. It’s a doorstop of a book but I seemed to get through it in no time as it’s really engaging.
All the Little Lies by Chris Curran
I loved this book too and as I’ve already reviewed it you can find out more about if you click the title above.
This book is brilliant and I already feel sure it’ll be in my best books of this year! I reviewed it this week so click the title above if you’d like to know more.
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
I can’t believe I’d never read this book before as I really enjoy Gaskell’s writing, but better late than never as I loved it.
Manhunt by Colin Sutton
I picked this book after recently watching the TV adaptation. I found it interesting but it wasn’t quite as interesting as I’d hoped it would be.
Don’t Turn Around by Amanda Brooke
This was such a gripping read, I found it hard to put down. Hopefully I’ll get a review posted on here soon.
This was another great read in February! I’ve reviewed this one so click on the title if you want to know more.
I Invited Her In by Adele Parks
I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped. I spotted all the twists early on but the writing was still great and that’s what kept me reading.
The One by John Marrs
I part read and part listened to this book and it was an okay read. I was expecting a bit more but at the same time I found it hard to put down so it definitely kept me engaged all the way through.
The Girl Next Door by Phoebe Morgan
This was such a good read. I listened to the audio book and it was one of those reads that made me begrudge real life interfering with me book listening time!
The Bridal Party by J. G. Murray
I really enjoyed this book! It was another book that was hard to put down and I love that it all turned out differently than I was expecting.
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
This book was so good! It was gripping from start to finish and was also a much more emotional read than I was expecting. I loved it and will definitely review it soon.
Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah David-Goff
This isn’t my usual kind of read but I loved it. It had so much depth to it and made me think, I really enjoyed it.
Are You The F**king Doctor? by Dr. Liam Farrell
This was another good read. It was funny and engaging and witty, I recommend it!
‘Kill The Black One First’ by Michael Fuller
I listened to this on audio and found it so interesting. It was shocking to read of the author’s experiences in the police force as a young black man but inspiring to see how he dealt with it and overcame it. The audio is narrated by the author too, which is always great with a memoir. I definitely recommend this one!
The Golden Child by Wendy James
I’ve had this ARC on my TBR for a few months now and finally picked it up yesterday. I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting, it’s such a good read!
January Blog Posts & Reviews:
I blogged 14 times in February which I’m happy with. Only six of those posts were reviews though which I need to improve on as I’m reading a lot and just haven’t been managing to get reviews written and posted. I think my new MacBook will help with that as it’s easier for me to use, and faster. Anyway, here are my blog posts and reviews from February…
That Was The Month That Was… January 2019
Review of Senseless by Anna Lickley
Review of East of England by Eamonn Griffin
Review of All the Little Lies by Chris Curran
Review of My Last Lie by Ella Drummond
Review of Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Review of Waco: A Survivor’s Story by David Thidebeau
The state of my TBR:
Well my TBR has got a little bit out of control during February. My plan to reduce it by 200 books from the total at the start of the year to the total at the end as gone a bit awry. To be on target my TBR should now be down to 2407 owned books but it’s actually at 2482! Oops! In fairness though I am part-way through having a book sort out so I think there will be some books going to the charity shop that I no longer want to read. Other than I just need to keep reading, and perhaps be a bit better at not buying all of the books at once! Haha!
How was your February? I hope you all had a good month and that you read lots of good books. Did you read many books? What was your favourite book of the month? Please tell me in the comments, I’d love to know. Also, if you have a blog please feel free to leave a link to your month’s wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to read and comment back. 🙂
RatherTooFondofBooks 
Great round up. Loved the Murakami short, which of his books have you read? I’ve added East of England and Blood Orange so thank you.
Thank you. I’ve read Norwegian Wood, Sputnik Sweetheart, South of the Border West of the Sun, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Most of these I read when I was younger so it was nice to read a short story and be reminded how much I enjoy his writing. Are you a fan? I hope you enjoy East of England and Blood Orange as much as I did.
How can you finish 21? I only managed 7 books. 😦 Two of which are short graphic novels.
I’m not in good health at the moment so I spend a lot of time reading when I can’t sleep. I also listen to audio books while I do my physio exercises and when my pain is bad as they’re a good distraction.
I hope you’re doing better now. Keep reading. 😊
Thank you 🙂
Wow 21 books is amazing!
Thank you 🙂 I didn’t realise how much I’d read in Feb until I put my post together.
That’s a lot of reading – well done! 😀
Thank you 🙂
I know, 2019 is flying by! It’s scary!
I’m glad you enjoyed Gone by Midnight! I’m interested in Trauma, it sounds like a brilliant book.
I can’t believe it’s March already! Trauma was fascinating – I learnt so much about how it came to be recognised as a condition and how the treatment has changed. Also, how PTSD can actually be prevented if the right intervention happens soon after the trauma. It’s a long book so it took me a while to read it but it’s so worthwhile getting to it.
Goodness me. That was a month and a half considering how short it is!
I was really surprised at how much I read over the month when I wrote this post! Now I just need to catch up with writing all of the reviews… eek!
I have to write my review before I begin the next book!
I usually have six or seven books on the go at once so rarely end up writing a review straight away. I do highlight things as I read and make the odd note so I can remember what I want to say in a review though.
Oh, you read a really nice mix of books!
I got a copy of Don’t Turn Around this morning 😀 It sounded really good.
The Bridal Party sounds like my sort of book as well, so i’m planning to get that too 🙂
Thank you. 🙂 I hope you enjoy Don’t Turn Around, I thought it was really gripping. The Bridal Party is a great read, I recommend it 🙂
I think you had an amazing February, Hayley! And yay on your new MacBook! Now I’m scared about the update for WordPress. I do not want it….I do most everything from my ipad with bluetooth keyboard and I hope it’s not too cumbersome to do on the ipad. Happy reading in March! ♥️
Thank you 🙂 I’m delighted with my new MacBook, it’s making life easier. I’m hoping to hold off on the WordPress update for as long as I can. I did try it but had to revert back to the original, I don’t like change – especially when it makes things feel more difficult. Happy reading to you too 🙂
Very glad you got a new computer – that’s great! It’s always a good feeling, I think, to have a properly working machine. And you’ve read some great books, too. Yes, I’d say a good February…
It’s so much better having a new computer – it runs so much faster and they keyboard is much easier for me to type on. Feb was a really good reading month 🙂
the amount of books you can get through in a month is amazing! how do you manage to read so many??
I really enjoyed this post, looks like you had an amazing month 🙂 xx
Thank you 🙂 I’m not in great health at the moment so I spend a lot of time reading and listening to audio books. I’ve always read a lot of books but it’s more than usual just now.
Yes someone else who has a TBR list as large as mine!!! I think I am 2372 or something like that! Phew. What a month you have had too!!
I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only one with a massive TBR! I don’t know when I’m going to get to all my books, especially when I keep buying more but it’s nice to have a lot to choose from! 🙂
Haha I know I am trying to find a nice bookshelf at the moment to accommodate the books 🤣
My poor books are wedged three deep on my big bookcase and then loads are still piled high on top of it and on the floor next to it. I need to have another book cull I think.
I got my bookshelf it’s huge but I only have one shelf left now 🤣 I can’t bear to part with any of the books lol
Haha! That’s the problem, isn’t it? Get a new bookcase and it seems to be filled way too quickly! I’m better at getting rid of books these days but I still have far more than I really have room for. lol!
I know!! You need to tell me how you get rid of them! Need to learn the ways lol x
I did the Marie Kondo decluttering of my whole house a year ago and that included some of my books. So since then I regularly go through and get rid of books. I struggle to get rid of books I’ve read and enjoyed but I do get rid of books that weren’t 4 or 5 star reads. I also get rid of books that I’ve owned for a long time but not read yet (or I put them in a pile and if I don’t attempt to read them within so many months they go to charity). It gets easier the more you do it but it’s always a long process. I try and think of it as setting books free to find someone who will read them rather than them gathering dust on my shelves. x
Ooh I am going to try the Marie Kondo decluttering. I need to do with books on my kindle too 🤣 that’s a problem you can’t see them but you know they are there! That sounds like an awesome idea with the books. I might put some in the blogger swap group x
That’s a good idea to put them in the swap group. I should do that more – I tend to pass my books on to my mum-in-law, charity shops or the library. Keep reminding yourself that you can always buy a book again if you realise you really did want to read it after you got rid. To be honest I still have so many books that I never miss the ones I’ve got rid of once they’re gone. Good luck with it. 🙂 x
Yeah I know that feeling! The ones i do miss are my Game of Thrones one and Lord of the Rings, so going to re-buy them! Thanks i will need it lol x
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