The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

Pages - 178

Published in 2010 by Atom

The newspaper headline glared at me from a little metal vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SEIGE - DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN. I hadn't seen this one yet. Some paperboy must have just restocked the machine. Lucky for him, he was nowhere around now.

Great. Riley was going to blow a gasket. I would make sure I wasn't within reach when he saw this paper. Let him rip somebody else's arm off.

I feel ashamed. So ashamed. But I had to read it. I had to find out what this novella spinning off from the Twilight books was about. I admit I love the Twilight books and I am not ashamed of this. I know they are not literary greats and that their are other fantastic vampire books out there, but there is something within Meyer's books that just grabs my attention and keeps me burning the midnight oil to finish her books.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a spin off book from Eclipse. It follows the life of a newly born vampire from her first vampire taste to the final battle in Eclipse. Bree comes across as a likeable character and you cannot help but feel sorry for her as she really doesn't want to live like the other new borns.

The newborns are vile in comparison to the rather civilized Cullens. They are really like uncontrollable children with no table manners. They are kept in the dark about what vampires are really capable of and you watch with interest as they learn all the vampire secrets you already knew, which makes you feel a little smug.

On the whole this book was OK, it didn't thrill me as much as the Twilight books and I couldn't help but think it was a bit of a money spinner and not really necessary as an add on to the original books. It is a very short book and easily a one day read. Yet it is fast and furious and full of violence. I enjoyed a quick Meyer fix, but missed Edward and Bella too much from this book. If you are a big Twilight fan,then you will enjoy this book, but don't expect to see a lot of the Cullens as they only show up at the end.

What I would advise about this book is that you read it before you see the film Eclipse. As the film kind of gives away the ending of the book. As I started reading it and worked out who she was in the film, I instantly knew what the ending would be and that really does spoil a book.

School's Out For Summer!

School finished on Friday at 3.15pm and life has been extremely hectic ever since! I have just come back to check if my Monday Mail post has gone up and found that it was posted on Friday, so apologies to everyone reading my Monday Mail on Friday.

School is out for 5 and 1/2 weeks. We normally get six weeks, but because we had two extra days at Easter, the nitpicking education department have taken it off our summer holiday. I really shouldn't moan as my children will get the full six weeks as we are going to be on holiday anyway.

I know our summer holiday may seem short to my American readers, but as I understand, we have a lot more holidays during the year. We start the new school year with a week in October, usually around Halloween, followed by two weeks at Christmas. We then get a week around February time, which then brings us to two weeks at Easter. Then we get another week around end of May, before we get to the Summer holidays of six weeks. I think I prefer our holidays to the American ones, as your summer holiday seems rather long.

Anyway, school holidays are here and we have six weeks to fill. We have a lovely weekend camping trip coming up, as well as a weekend in Wales seeing my Welsh relatives. The girls have camp for a week and then we also have a holiday in Fuereventura, which is one of the Canary Islands, to look forward too. Can't wait. I am sooo excited.

So with holidays come and going, my blog may be a bit erratic over the next few weeks. Please excuse me, if I don't always check on your blogs. I do hate missing out on things, but time has a way of running away from me and I am not very fast at catching up.

Off to the library now, to set the kids up on the library reading challenge. I will get my kids reading, if it kills me!

Monday Mail

I have been sorely tempted by all the new books that have been appearing in the shops lately but I have tried to resist temptation. Don't think it will last long, so I thought I would show you my boot sale bargains.
These lovely hard backed books are the first three books in the Julia Golding series set in the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, Covent Garden in 1790.These covers are all beautiful and glittery and the books don't even look like they have been read. A bargain for £2 for the lot.

1) The Warrior's Princess by Barbara Erskine. I used to read everything that Barbara Erskine wrote and my favourite book by her is 'Midnight Is a Lonely Place'. This one came out in 2009 and is set during the Roman invasion of Britain. I love the supernatural element that always exists in her books.

2) The Mitford Girls by Mary S. Lovell. I kept hearing about the Mitford sisters and was intrigued by this biography of the family. Over here in England, they same fairly unknown, in fact I couldn't find one person who had heard of them. I know they were very popular in America, so I look forward to finding out more.

3) The Unfortunates by Laurie Graham - I was lent Graham's book 'The Dress Circle' last year and absolutely loved it, so I was pleased to find this one. This is set at the beginning of World War I when Poppy Minkel's mother is desperate for her daughter to find a husband.

4) Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. Yes, I know I recently read it for the second time, but I haven't ever actually owned my own copy of the book. It is one I will always read again, as it is such a beautiful story.

These two finds were published in the 70's and were originally priced at 25p. Remember the days when you could buy books for 25p!

5) The Moon Stallion by Brian Hayles. When the Purwells set out to explore the land of the real King Arthur, they find themselves caught up in a hunt for the Moon Stallion, a beautiful but dangerous beast without a mortal master. This was originally a TV series in the 70's but I don't actually remember it.

6) The Glory House by Charlotte Morrow. Ever since Rose first discovered the remote, long-deserted house on the gorse-covered heathland above her home, she has gained strange comfort from the dreams she weaves around it, until she encounters the real occupants of the house and with them a threat to her world of make believe.

Some fabulous books that I can't wait to read.

What did you get this week?

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at You Should Be Reading and you can find it here. MizB does a fantastic job with this meme every week, so do pop over and pay her a visit.

It has been ages since I have done a Friday Finds post and I seem to have added so many books to my list. I really need to do a whole week of these posts, to show all my wonderful finds in the blogging world.

1) The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth Von Armin.

I loved The Enchanted Apirl by this author, which I read last summer and I have been meaning to read more of her books. So I was pleased to discover this book at Ana's blog Things Mean ALot a few weeks ago.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

The Solitary Summer, written by author Elizabeth Von Arnim, is a companion to her popular Elizabeth and Her German Garden. In The Solitary Summer, she focuses on a summer filled with rejuvenation in the midst of a search for finding indenity and meaning in her life. Successful in life with marriage and children, the main character finds that she need to find herself as she feels a large void in her life. This is an excellent book for those who are fans of the works of Elizabeth Von Arnim and for individuals who have read Elizabeth and Her German Garden.

I might have to buy this one with Elizabeth and Her German Garden and read them together.


2) Up In The Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell.

I thought this one might be good for my American Journey as it is a collection of short stories that were written for The New Yorker from the 1930's to the 1960's. I found this book over at Rose City Reader's blog.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Journalist Joseph Mitchell, whose death in in May 1996 at the age of 87 merited a half-page obituary in the New York Times, pioneered a style of journalism while crafting brilliant magazine pieces for the New Yorker from the 1930s to the early 1960s. Up in the Old Hotel, a collection of his best reporting, is a 700-page joy to read.
Mitchell lovingly chronicled the lives of odd New York characters. In the pages of Up In the Old Hotel, the reader passes through places such as McSorley's Old Ale House or the Fulton Fish Market that many observers might have found ordinary. But when experienced through Mitchell's gifted eye, the reader will see that these haunts of old New York possess poetry, beauty, and meaning.

3) The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman.

I will not give up on Alice Hoffman. I know I am going to find a book of hers that I will love soon.

This book has only just come out in England.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Her new novel, The Story Sisters, charts the lives of three sisters-Elv, Claire, and Meg. Each has a fate she must meet alone: one on a country road, one in the streets of Paris, and one in the corridors of her own imagination. Inhabiting their world are a charismatic man who cannot tell the truth, a neighbor who is not who he appears to be, a clumsy boy in Paris who falls in love and stays there, a detective who finds his heart’s desire, and a demon who will not let go.What does a mother do when one of her children goes astray? How does she save one daughter without sacrificing the others? How deep can love go, and how far can it take you? These are the questions this luminous novel asks. At once a coming-of-age tale, a family saga, and a love story of erotic longing, The Story Sisters sifts through the miraculous and the mundane as the girls become women and their choices haunt them, change them and, finally, redeem them.

4) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I saw this for sale in the shops today and I knew the title sounded familiar. It wasn't until I got home and looked in my little book that I realised it was one I hoped to read. Might have to pop back and buy it.

It is like a cross between Groundhog Day and If I Stay.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Sam Kingston is dead. Except she isn't.On a rainy February night, eighteen-year-old Sam is killed in a horrific car crash. But then the impossible happens: she wakes up in her own bed, on the morning of the day that she died.Forced to live over and over the last day of her life the drive to school, skipping class, the fateful party she desperately struggles to alter the outcome, but every morning she wakes up on the day of the crash.This is a story of a girl who dies young, but in the process learns how to live. And who falls in love... a little too late.


So there are my finds for this week. Have you read any of these or would you like to?

The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe by Brian Keaney

Pages - 233

Published in 2008 by Orchard Books.

It was a grimy March day and the smoke from hundreds of chimneys mingled its sooty breath with the mist that came drifting up from the river. By late afternoon the air had grown so thick it seemed to curdle your lungs. People went about business wrapped and muffled, coats buttoned up to their throats, scarves held over their mouths.
The fog transformed London.

The story is set in London during Victorian times. Nathaniel Wolfe works for his father, who happens to be the greatest medium in London. When he takes the stage, many follow him to speak to their dearly departed loved ones. Who will be lucky and get to speak to them?

Nathaniel knows his father is a fake, but in order to survive he has to help him. Until Nathaniel realises that he is actually the one who can see the spirits. Nathaniel is thrust into a chilling mystery where he must help to avenge the spirit from beyond.

I have to admit to being rather shallow and being attracted to the this book purely by its cover. It looked so creepy, with the ghost hovering in the background, that I just had to have it. The title had me too, as it reminded me of a book I read last year, called The Haunting of Cassie Palmer. Once I realised it was set in the world of fake mediums during the Victoria era, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist its charms for long.

I have to say this book definitely delivered the goods. For a teenage book, the ghost written within the story actually scared me a little. The way it was written, had me glancing around the room and listening very carefully to strange creakings within the house. I love nothing better than to be scared senseless by a ghost story.

Nathaniel is a fabulous lead character. As a young teenage boy, basically left to fend for himself, you witness his strength as well as his vulnerability. He is not prepared to see spirits, and you feel his fear with the arrival of the first apparition. Nathaniel leads a hard life, where his father is usually drunk and never worries about making sure Nathaniel has food and clean clothes. His father is a violent man too, definitely one to be feared. But worry not, the ending of the book is brilliant and Nathaniel is rewarded with a new life.

I enjoyed the setting of the book, as Victorian London sits fondly in my heart. I loved reading the descriptive passages which brought that era to life.

There is a second book in this series called Nathaniel Wolfe and the Bodysnatchers, which I do hope to read. It was nice to read a book in a series, which actually tied up all the loose ends, rather than keep you hanging on for months until the next book comes out.

A spot of light gardening!

As I mentioned on Monday, the Dacosta clan have been doing a bit of light gardening. Light gardening, ha! What started as a whim on Saturday morning to cut down the tree you can see in the picture below, ended up being a complete overhaul and re landscaping of the front garden. We actually had an audience by the end of it, and people were coming up and congratulating us on how hard we had worked all weekend.
The tree climbing up the fence had basically taken over half the front garden and was encroaching on our window in the picture below. It had been allowed to take over and hadn't been chopped back in years. There was I with my secateurs, thinking I will easily cut it back - it ended up with hubby having to buy an electric chainsaw to cut the branches which were as wide as the top of my arm. I wanted to pull the whole thing down, but as hubby now has his chainsaw, we can keep an eye on it. So we spent all day Saturday pulling the whole front garden up, with the aid of my kids too. It took three trips to the dump and a very humpy hubby as his car which is his pride and joy was full of mud and bugs! I kept telling him to stop being such a woose!

The big spiky trees were left in the garden, much to my disgust. How we haven't had an insurance claim from someone claiming to lose an eye, I will never know.

On Sunday, we went to the garden centre and piled up the car with new plants. Apart from my indulgence, hydrangeas, which I love and are pictured below, the rest of the garden took on a red and white look. I bought a few different plants with red leaves and many with red and white flowers which should come out before summer. Hubby then put down black bark to hopefully discourage the weeds from returning. I am really pleased with my new front garden and I am actually watering it, which really is a first for me. If plants could talk, my old front garden would have been wailing with thirst.

By the end of the weekend, hubby and I were exhausted. Both of us had back ache and sore knees. I had over twenty splinters in my hands from cutting the bushes the previous day. The back garden now needs doing, but I imagine it will be next year, before I venture out there. Let's not rush, folks.

Looking For Alaska by John Green

It has taken me a little while, but I am back on my American journey and I am still in Alabama. I really have been rather thorough with Alabama and I still have three more books to read. I just didn't realise how fascinating Alabama would be and I have really loved visiting the state. The following book threw me a little as the title would make you think it is set in Alaska, but it isn't. Alaska is a person, a wild outstanding individual who happens to go to boarding school in Alabama.

Pages - 268

Challenges - American Journey and Young Adult.

Published in 2006 by Harper Collins.

The week before I left my family and Florida and the rest of my minor life to go to boarding school in Alabama, my mother insisted on throwing me a going-away party. To say that I had low expectations would be to underestimate the matter dramatically. Although, I was more or less forced to invite all my 'school friends', i.e.e the ragtag bunch of drama people and English geeks I sate with by social necessity in the cavernous cafeteria of my public school, I knew they wouldn't come.

Miles Halter leaves for boarding school in Alabama, hoping to find what the dying poet Rabelais called the 'Great Perhaps'. Miles has lived his life up until the present, as a social nobody and can't wait to reinvent himself and find the new Miles.

When he arrives at Culver Creek, he soon makes friends with his room mate, the Colonel and falls heavily for the charms of Alaska Young. Alaska is clever, funny, self destructive and dead sexy. Alaska pulls Miles into her web of charm and he falls completely for her.

Wow, what a book. This is the book of coming of age, that I wish I had read when I was a teen. It took me straight back to my teenage years with each turn of the page. I was back to the big haired, shoulder padded, puffball years of my youth.

Miles is the imperfect teenager that we all had inside us, full of insecurities on the inside and spots on the outside. It was interesting reading the story from a male point of view, as I realised it was something I didn't often do. Miles is a sympathetic narrator and I loved reading the book from his point of view. Alaska is the dark, misunderstood, heart wrenching James Dean style character that we all fell for during high school. She is the one every boy wants to date and every girl wants to be, but no one understands what hides within her heart and mind.

This book deals with a lot of emotional issues that even many adults would struggle to overcome. Alaska has had a painful past and you cannot help but want to hug her and make her feel better.

I loved this book completely. I couldn't put it down, once I started to read it. I loved the way the book is set out in a sort of diary format, although it isn't a diary. It reminded me a lot of Tully by Paullina Simons, which is just as heart wrenching in the end as Looking for Alaska.

John Green is quite a new author to me, but he is definitely one I want to read more from. I will be looking out at his new book Paper Towns soon.

Other reviews of this book

The Literary Stew

Lost In Books

Fluttering Butterflies

Things Mean Alot

Where did that week go?????

OMG - I don't know what happened, but I think I lost a whole week. Perhaps I time travelled a week into the future as I really couldn't tell you where the week went. I can only apologise for my absence again. I really hope it will be business as usual from now on, as long as everyone ignores my two week absence which will occur during August - apart from that I should be around.

The problem was we had a fabulous weekend away and I came back to a really busy week. I have been out every day picking up birthday presents and checking off things needed for a forthcoming camping trip as well as our trip to the Canary Islands. Then I decided that certain cupboards in my house needed organisation and once I started with one cupboard, I just couldn't stop. We also decided to replant our front garden which took us two days - one day to dig it all up and another day to replant it. My evenings were busy too, as the girls had a dance show, and we also had to visit my brother, who moved into his new house this week. I didn't even pick up a book to read between Thursday the week before last and yesterday. That is ten days without reading. Aarggh - am I going to reach my monthly reading target - I think not!

I just didn't have time to sit down and work on my blog, so I just abandoned it. In fact, I have barely had my computer on at all during the last week, which is like having my throat cut!

The forthcoming week will still be busy, as the girls have one last week left at school, before the holidays begin. However, I hope to be more on top of things and keep up with my blogging and reading.

I am going to have to press Mark as Read on my google reader, but please let me know if there are any posts that I have missed that you know I would love. I hope to get around and visit as many of you as possible as I have missed you all.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Monday Mail

Anyone notice my absence since Thursday. Nope, oh good. I am sorry, but I have had a mega busy weekend. Starting with dinner and a movie on Friday night, with my best buddy. We went to see Eclipse followed by dinner at Nando's - fabulous evening. Saturday was spent felt making at school with the girls all day, followed by the local carnival in the evening and fish and chips on the beach. I hope to show you some pictures from it later in the week. Sunday and today have been spent away with my husband in Brighton. So I can't tell you much about that as I am still away and this was written before I went, so I will let you know tomorrow if I have had a good time!
Thought I would share my four new books that I picked up last Thursday after spending an hour searching for a fancy dress costume for my nephew. I find it very difficult to buy presents for other people and not for myself. Is that just me or does everyone have this problem.

1) Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce - countless teenagers have been brutally murdered and Scarlet and Rosie know how they died; torn apart by werewolves. A fabulous YA book with elements of Little Red Riding Hood, I believe.

2) Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann - New York in 1974. A man is walking in the sky between the newly built Twin Towers. Below him, the lives of complete strangers spin towards each other.

3) New York - Edward Rutherford - I have wanted this book since I saw it first came out in hardback. It is mammoth! The sweeping saga of the most exciting city on earth. Following three hundred years of history from the city's birth, to the heroism of 9/11.

As you may have noticed that is two New York books I have purchased. They have been bought for a reason, as I have decided to divert slightly from my alphabetical tour of America and go to New York next, instead of Alaska, which was to be my next stop.

4) Love Aubrey by Suzanne Lefleur - I have heard such good things about this book,but I do know it is sad too. This book is about eleven year old Aubrey who is on her own after something terrible happens. She is determined to hide away and take care of herself. Until the letters from her grandmother help her come to terms with her loss.

Some fabulous books to keep me busy over the coming summer months. Has anyone read any of these?

White Cat by Holly Black

Pages - 310

Review copy from Simon and Schuster. Published April 2010.

I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles. Looking dizzily down. I suck in a breath of icy air. Above me are stars. Below me, the bronze statue of Colonel Wallingford makes me realize I'm seeing the quad from the peak of Smythe Hall, my dorm.

I have no memory of climbing the stairs to the roof. I don't even know how to get where I am, which is a problem since I'm going to have to get down, ideally in a way that doesn't involve dying.

This is the story of Cassel, a young lad who comes from a family of curse workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your luck or even your life, just by touching you with their hands. Everyone wears gloves to protect themselves, as curseworking in illegal. Cassel is the only member of his family, who isn't a curse worker, and tends to be a straight kid, apart from the minor detail that he killed his best friend Lila three years ago.

Originally this book was to be reviewed by Amanda over at A Library Of My Own , but as she was moving and knew I loved Holly Black and the fact that this book is yet to be published in England, she asked me to review it for her and I jumped at the chance.

I absolutely love Holly Black. I loved Tithe, I loved Valiant and now I love White Cat. Although to be honest, it took me a little while to get into it, but I think that was purely because the whole curse worker situation was a little confusing to me. Once I understood what was going on, I couldn't put the book down. The curse workers situation gives the book an air of darkness and foreboding, as magic is feared by all. Holly Black is just such a talented writer and has brought a whole new fantasy world to my doorstep.

Cassel is a brilliant character, very dark and brooding, just the type I like. The story had lots of twists and turns which I am not going to delve into because it will really spoil the story. There were quite a few times where I stopped and went 'Oooh' and 'Never!' As Cassel learns about his past, we learn at the same time. Unfortunately, the other characters don't stand out as much as Cassel, but luckily for me, he stood out enough for me not to notice too much.

This book is the first one is a series about the curse workers and I can't wait to read more. If you are bored by vampires and fairies in your YA, then curse workers are the new best thing. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read more.

Books I Would Like To Read In July.

I am probably being rather ambitious with my reading this month, especially after reading so few books last month, but I really want to get all the following books read.

I am desperate to finish reading about Alabama on my American journey so that I can move on and I have four books left to read.

1) Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress

2)Gods in Alabama by Joshlyn Jackson

3) Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman

4) Looking for Alaska by John Green which is actually set in Alabama. Strange I know!

I want to finally get around to reading Dear Daddy Long Legs again, which is my favourite book from my childhood. This edition also includes the author's second book, Dear Enemy.

Boneshaker is left over from last month and I have to read the Stephanie Meyer one soon.

I also hope to read the following four library books I picked up.

1) The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne ( yes Winnie the Pooh's author) I found this over at Nymeth's blog and knew I needed to read it.

2) The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan

3) Good Evening Mrs Craven,the Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes ( a Persephone, lush!)

4) Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. A lovely graphic book which hopefully won't take long to read.

Keep your fingers crossed I can reach my target.

Monday Mail

I disappeared again this week and I apologise. I wasn't feeling well through Thursday and Friday and I abandoned my blog for some down time. I slept from 7.30pm right through to 6.30pm the following morning and realised I definitely needed it. I find this time of year so busy and Friday was the first day all week where I was actually at home during the day. I am looking forward to the children breaking up from school, so that we can start to slow down and enjoy the summer. We have booked our next camping trip too, so I am very excited.

I had a little splurge in the charity shops this week and came back with a bundle of books. I haven't done this in a while, so it was really nice to browse and pick up some goodies.
1) The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson - I haven't read any of her books yet, but I have heard such good things about them. This one is about a young servant girl living in a grand house in Vienna. Her life would be perfect but for the mystery of her real mother. She was found in a church, and no one knows where she came from.

2) Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier. This has been compared to The Shadow in The Wind, as it deals with a mysterious old book.

3) God's Own Country by Ross Raisin ( the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2009 and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2008). Sam Marsdyke spends his days alone on the moors tending sheep, watching wide eyed ramblers and townies move into the area,creating second homes. Then a new family move into the area and Sam is quite taken with their daughter. This is a described as a comedy set in the Yorkshire landscape and I can't wait to read it.

4)The Crimson Rooms by Katherine McMahon. I loved The Rose of Sebastopol, so I seem to be always picking up books by McMahon to read at a later date. This one is set in London in 192 and deals with the aftermath of the war. McMahon seems to have strong female characters in her books, and this one appears not to be an exception.

5) Notes of a Scandal by Zoe Heller. I was over the moon to get hold of this one, as I have heard such good things about it. When Sheila joins the staff at St George's school, the history teacher Barbara is convinced she has found a kindred spirit. When Sheila is discovered to have had an affair with one of her young pupils, Barbara becomes her chief defender, but friends can hurt you more than lovers.

6) The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark. For centuries the people of Venice have been seeking an extraordinary book, rumoured to contain the key of immeasurable power. Now in the year 1498, mischievous street orphan Luciano stumbles across a secret that others will kill for.

7) The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland, author of Company of Liars. I just love the covers of both of these books. This book is set in England 1321 during the Dark Ages. Full of accusations of witchcraft, just my kind of book.

The children's school had a summer fayre on Friday evening and for the first time ever, they had a book stall. I headed straight for it first and picked up three books, then I hit the wine stall and won a bottle of red. That was me sorted for the evening!

As you can see, I picked up the first two books in the Percy Jackson series, where Percy is related to the Greek gods.

I also picked up another Eva Ibbotson one called Magic Flutes, which is set in the spring of 1922, following the life of Tessa, a princess, who has given up her duties to follow the heart, working backstage at the Viennese opera.

I am getting to the stage, where my book shelves are now bursting at the seams. Hubby has promised me two mores bookcases and I shall be chasing him for them now.

Monthly Roundup for June.

OMG, my worst reading month ever. I have only finished six books completely, as well as a read along, which has been going on for a couple of months. It has been a really busy month though and quite a few evenings I have just chilled out in front of the television due to being so tired.

You may remember that in my last roundup post I listed a set of books I wanted to read throughout the month. From that list, I only managed three books! Two had to go back to the library before I got to read them (The Tricking of Freya and The Lost House of Souls) and one was a DNF ( Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda). I am presently half way through another two books from the pile - The Hollow and White Cat, so that only leaves two books untouched to be added to next month's pile. I do plan to make a reading list for July, but I have had chance to do that yet, so hopefully I will get that done for tomorrow.

Anyway, here is the list of books I did manage to read this month.

1) We Hear The Dead by Dianne K. Salermi

2) Fair Play by Tove Jansson

3) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

4) Dewey - the Small Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron

5) Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

6) Summertime by J.M. Coetzee

7) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte ( read as a weekly read along.)

That brings me to a total of 65 books this year. I also finished the Support Your Library Challenge and read 25 library books for it. I have abandoned one of my challenges ( Every Month is a Holiday) as it requires me to read one book a month and I forgot about it the last two months. Sorry! I never quite finished the Once Upon a Time Challenge as I only managed four books instead of five. Never mind, I will try harder next year.

How was your reading this month?