I have always delighted in having my head in a book. To me, it is escapism at it’s finest. Sometime in January, I had the idea of tracking my reading over the year, somewhat curious as to how much time I could devote to visiting old friends and discovering new, while holding down a full-time job and of course, working on my own writing.

To write, one must be a reader. It is as simple as that. Read widely, not just in the genre or genres you choose to write in. As people, we are constantly evolving and different stories and characters can mark our souls in unimagined ways.

To me books are like chocolate, wonderful in all formats. I will happily curl up with a cup of tea, under a blanket, delighting in the feel of paper beneath my fingertips and the delicious earthy, vanilla scent of the pages. To ensure that I always have a good selection of books with me (after being yelled at by a doctor years ago who couldn’t understand my need for two novels, a notebook and my little black book of ideas to be permanent fixtures in my handbag), my e-reader and mobile phone (for audible) are also must haves.

I can safely say that I never leave the house without stories being accessible in at least one format. Why wait in line, listening to the random complaints of others when you can be delving into the life of someone off on a grand adventure?

“Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people – people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” – E.B. White

Right, where was I? Oh yes, as previously mentioned, I was keen to see just how much I was reading and how different months compared. To date, since I started my little writing log, I’ve completed reading 62 books and currently have two more in progress. Some I devour quickly, in a crazed rush to see how the story unwinds before the inevitable feeling of heartache when I have to say goodbye to new friends. I never cope with well with the loss I feel after reading an enjoyable book and no doubt drive friends and family a little bit insane with my book recommendations. Being known around the office for my love of reading, I have inadvertently started a little lending library amongst friends and colleagues, who I am pleased to introduce to some wonderful stories and am always happy for any recommendations to add to my ever-growing TBR List.

So, what genres have I read this year? Well, that is certainly a mixed bag. I am a big fan of Historical fiction and have particularly enjoyed “The Seven Sister’s Series” by Lucinda Reilly (currently reading book 5), “The Ship of Brides” by Jojo Moyes and “The Crimson Thread” by Kate Forsyth (to date, my favourite Kate Forsyth story). Classics, such as “The Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston Leroux, which I hadn’t previously read, and revisiting “1984” and “Animal Farm” by George Orwell and “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Mythology and Fantasy are always part of my must-read genres and the stand out’s this year have included “Circe” by Madeline Miller, Mark Lawrence’s “Library Trilogy” and Stephen Fry’s retelling of “Odyssey”.

Of course, there are some author’s that will always feature on my TBR list. I was very excited to find out that Philip Pullman’s Trilogy “The Book of Dust”, a much-awaited sequel trilogy to “His Dark Materials” was set for release this year and hungrily devoured all three of those exquisitely written stories. I love books that force me to think about bigger pictures, whilst taking me on an amazing adventure and Philip Pullman never disappoints.

I do enjoy reading stories from around the world but of course have a soft spot for homegrown talent. This year, I’ve had the pleasure of reading the following from Australian authors.

“The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding” by Holly Ringland.

“The Pact” and “Schindler’s List” (formerly “Schindler’s Ark”) by the wonderfully talented Thomas Keneally.

“The Jam Maker” by Mary-Lou Stephens.

“Bitter Greens” & The Crimson Thread” by Kate Forsyth.

“The Left-Handed Booksellers of London” & “The Sinister Booksellers of Bath” by Garth Nix (author of one of my all-time fantasy series “The Old Kingdom Series”.)

“The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams.

“Here One Moment” by Liane Moriarty.

 

I would highly recommend just about all the stories that I’ve had the pleasure of reading so far this year. I do like mixing up my reading by picking a familiar author, then following with someone who’s work is new to me, although sometimes you just get hooked on a series, as I am currently thanks to Lucinda Reilly. Likewise, I jump between genres and like to keep my mind guessing, sometimes having three stories on the go at once because I am obsessed with each of them. In my life, there have been few stories that I have not been able to finish and even if a story is not resonating strongly with me instantly, it does not mean it should be put aside. I have found that books have a time. A magical moment when you are open to everything, they have to teach you. This is another reason I love to re-visit books, like long-lost friends, reading them with older eyes to see what fresh secrets they have to divulge.

If ever in doubt of what to do, take it from me. You will never go wrong by sitting down and opening a book.

“Books are the mirrors of the soul.”―Virginia Woolf

For the list of books I’ve read this year, please see below. Those marked in bold are ones I have found to be particularly enjoyable.

Title	Author
The Library of the Unwritten (Hell’s Library, #1)	A.J. Hackwith
The Ten Thousand Doors of January	Alix E. Harrow
Starling House	Alix E. Harrow
The Little Prince	Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Time Traveller’s Wife	Audrey Niffenegger
Dracula	Bram Stoker
The Summer Queen	Elizabeth Chadwick
The Winter Crown (Eleanor of Aquitaine, #2)	Elizabeth Chadwick
The Autumn Throne (Eleanor of Aquitaine, #3)	Elizabeth Chadwick
The Frozen People	Elly Griffiths
Wuthering Heights	Emily Brontë
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris	Evie Woods
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine	Gail Honeyman
The Society of Unknowable Objects	Gareth Brown
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (Left-Handed Bookseller…	Garth Nix
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath (Left-Handed Booksellers of …	Garth Nix
The Phantom of the Opera	Gaston Leroux
1984	George Orwell
Animal Farm	George Orwell
The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding	Holly Ringland
The Underground Library	Jennifer Ryan
The Final Wife	Jenny Blackhurst
The Storyteller	Jodi Picoult
The Ship of Brides	Jojo Moyes
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth	Jules Verne
The Ministry of Time	Kaliane Bradley
Bitter Greens	Kate Forsyth
The Crimson Thread	Kate Forsyth
Here One Moment	Liane Moriarty
The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters, #1)	Lucinda Riley
The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters, #2)	Lucinda Riley
The Shadow Sister (The Seven Sisters, #3)	Lucinda Riley
The Pearl Sister: The Seven Sisters Book 4	Lucinda Riley
Circe	Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles	Madeline Miller
Watermelon	Marian Keyes
Grown Ups	Marian Keyes
The Book That Broke the World	Mark Lawrence
The Book That Held Her Heart (The Library Trilogy, #3)	Mark Lawrence
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text	Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
The Jam Maker	Mary-Lou Stephens
Iris is More than Okay	Natalie Cooper
The Children of Men	P.D. James
La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust, #1)	Philip Pullman
The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, #2)	Philip Pullman
The Rose Field (The Book of Dust, #3)	Philip Pullman
Once Upon a Time in the North (His Dark Materials #0.5)	Philip Pullman
Lyra’s Oxford (His Dark Materials, #3.5)	Philip Pullman
Serpentine (His Dark Materials, #3.6)	Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales	Philip Pullman
The Dictionary of Lost Words	Pip Williams
The Secrets of Flowers	Sally Page
Morgan Is My Name (Morgan le Fay, #1)	Sophie Keetch
Le Fay (Morgan le Fay, #2)	Sophie Keetch
Odyssey: The Greek Myths Reimagined	Stephen Fry
The Witches of Scotland Series	Steven P. Aitchison
The Pact	Thomas Keneally
Schindler’s List	Thomas Keneally