December was a very bad reading month for me because I was hit hard with a lot of things (both good and very bad) happening in my personal life so although I was reading, I was just forcing myself to read short books and listen to audiobooks just to try and reach my goal. I really didn’t have much of an interest in reading whatsoever, to tell the truth, so I am quite proud to even have read a single book.
1) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I’d been so excited to read this book for about six months and this month I finally got to it! And wow, it was completely worth the wait. My mam read it before me and she loved it too which is incredible in itself because our tastes in books are quite different. In short, the book is about a woman who has had the same routine in her life since graduating university and is completely isolated from everyday life. However, one act of kindness brings two new people into her life and completely changes her routined days.
2) The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.
This is the first book in the Hercule Poirot series and, while I enjoyed it, I much preferred ‘Murder on the Orient Express’. The book follows Poirot’s hunt for the murderer of Emily Inglethorp who was found dead in her locked bedroom. (I’m going to be perfectly honest, I completely forgot that I had read this until I checked the notebook where I keep the list of books I read, that being said, I do really enjoy Agatha Christie’s books.)
3) Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie
Another Agatha Christie book, this time one of the last books in the Poirot series. I hadn’t read any of the later Poirot books so I have to admit that it took time to adjust to reading about Poirot in the 1970s, rather than the 20s and 30s. In this book, Poirot is asked to investigate an accident which had occurred about fifteen years earlier which had been ruled as a suicide pact between a husband and wife, however, now it is unclear whether it had been suicide or murder. I loved the premise of the book whereby it is being investigated years after the couple were found dead and I found it to be somewhat refreshing from usual murder mystery books.
4) Five Go on a Strategy Away Day by Bruno Vincent
A short, humorous book about the Famous Five as adults. The title is quite self explanatory because the books in the series are always around the 100 page mark (including illustrations) and are quite an easy read. Personally, I prefer the other books in the series that I have read but if you’re looking for an easygoing, lighthearted book, I would definitely recommend it.
5) Five Go Parenting by Bruno Vincent
Another easy read that anyone who grew up reading Enid Blyton would enjoy. In this book, the five have to look after their cousin Rupert’s baby after the group caused him and his wife to be arrested and sent to prison. Bruno Vincent’s books are very funny to read and would be perfect if you want a break from deep and heavy going books. This book is my personal favourite in his Famous Five series.
6) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
I have never seen Sherlock ever (shocker) so this was my first experience of Baker Street! The book is divided into 12 short stories which you can listen to in any order you like as they are not continuations of each other. I used an audiobook which I found on youtube which I really enjoyed and I will definitely be reading more of Arthur Conan Doyle’s books in 2019.
This was a reread which I originally read in 2017 and LOVED. The story is about conjoined twins Tippi and Grace who are viewed as a medical miracle to have lived for almost seventeen years. However, Grace is becoming sicker and it is not something she wants to tell Tippi because if Grace dies, so does Tippi. This book is written in free verse so it is quite an quick read and Sarah Crossan is an incredible author so I would highly recommend reading it.
8) The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
100% expecting someone to tell me that this doesn’t count so I’ll just explain quickly. For me, I include any story / book, etc. that is published on its own and not part of a collection as a book and this meets the criteria. This is quite a dark story that is only eight pages long and, as a massive cat lover with my cat right beside me as I write this, I wasn’t a fan. I have read some of his poetry though and I have enjoyed it.
