A monthly round up of all things bookish at Sammi Loves Books…It’s my attempt at becoming more accountable in my reading and reviewing habits…
In a nutshell
December saw a lot of activity at Sammi Loves Books with nine reviews in total being posted on the site, which must be a record for me…It sounds like one, at any rate 😉
With another Festive Reads Fortnight complete, some of the reviews for which rolled over from the previous year, this Christmas-themed reading challenge and it’s subsequent page is now up to date.
In my last round-up post (November 2020), I mentioned I was going to attempt to not review absolutely everything I read in 2021. Instead, I’m going to be more selective about my reviews going forward, and move towards focusing on review requests and book blogging. I think this will lead to me reading more and worrying about keeping up with the reviews a lot less, so my aim is to trial this for a few months and see how things go.
I have also posted my “Very Informal Classic Reads Book Club Challenge” for 2021 – a list of 12 classic books, one to be read each month, in an attempt to read more of them. It was surprisingly difficult to narrow the list down to just 12, but I did it, and I’m looking forward to reading them all, though I’m especially looking forward to Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and the re-reading The Epic of Gilgamesh. For more information or to have a look at the list, you can find the page under the “Themes and Challenges” tab on the menu, or follow this link.
Speaking of challenges, I completed a number of self-set ones in 2020: The Basic Book Review Challenge where the aim was to review 52 books over the course of the year, my A-Z Review Index Challenge where I hoped to be able to list at least one review under each section / letter of the index, and my Read, Review, Rehome challenge, which worked out so well I actually lost count of the final numbers…
For 2021, I am challenging myself to read more over the course of the year – I aiming for 60, though I do not intend on reviewing them all. I am also hoping to complete the challenge I set myself in 2019 (the Sammi Loves Books Reading Challenge) where I still have 4 challenges to go. I’ve already mentioned my 12 classic reads for 2021, but there is one more challenge I am planning on continuing with: my Read, Review, Rehome, as I still attempt to thin out the number of books in my home. The target for 2021 is going to be higher than 2020, at 35…we shall see how well I do…
If any writers / poets / authors / etc, would like to be interviewed as part of Afternoon Tea at Sammi Loves Books check out this page for more information, FAQs and an index of all the previous interviews. If you’ve any questions, please do get in touch at: sammicoxbooks@gmail.com
To keep up-to-date with what I’m reading and reviewing, find me on Facebook and Goodreads.
Books I’ve reviewed
- Agatha Raisin and The Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton
- Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton (re-read)
- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
- The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry
- A Strange Christmas Game by Charlotte Riddell
- Mystery in White by J Jefferson Farjeon
- The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P.D. James
- The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne
- Agatha Raisin and The Terrible Tourist
Other Book-Related Posts
- None
Favourite read(s) of the month
- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis and The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P.D. James
Books I’ve bought (or been given)
- None – woohoo!
Books I’ve downloaded
- None
What I’ve been reading on Wattpad
- Once again, not very much…
November’s “Read and Review” Goals*
- Agatha Raisin and The Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton
- Agatha Raisin and The Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton
- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
- Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon
- The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry
- A Strange Christmas Game by Charlotte Riddell
* Light blue = review posted | Blue = review not posted | Black = did not read / review
What I’m reading in January
- The Voyage of The Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
- The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian
- The Island of Dr Moreau by H. G. Wells
Basic Book Review Challenge 2020
To post (at least) one book review a week, to reach a target of 52 over the course of the year. – COMPLETED! YAY!
Month started at: 39 / 52
Month finished at: 53 / 52
Sammi Loves Books Reading Challenge 2019
I’m revisiting this challenge I started last year, to complete the challenges I missed. I’ve completed the following challenges from the list this month:
- #3: a book set in a place you’ve lived / visited – A Strange Christmas Game by Charlotte Riddell
Total challenges completed in 2019: 8 / 20
Total challenges completed in 2020: 8 / 12
Total: 16 / 20
You can find the complete list of challenges here.
A to Z Review Index Challenge
- Completed
Read, Review, Rehome
Goal: 20 | Total so far: 25+ / 20 * Completed *
- Agatha Raisin and The Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton
- Agatha Raisin and The Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton
- Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
- Agatha Raisin and The Terrible Tourist by M.C. Beaton
- plus a big bag of books I put together over Christmas, including duplicate copies, books that I’ve read in the past but have held on to for some reason, as well as books from part-way through a series when I’ve not even read the first book yet…this put the numbers significantly over my goal for the year – WOOHOO!
