My 2019 Reading Challenge | Books 1-5

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Inspired by Rebecca’s post talking about how she is getting on with her reading challenge, I thought I would do the same. Reading has really taken a backseat these past few years and that’s a shame as reading is something I have always loved. I decided to set myself a Goodreads challenge this year that is actually fairly achievable for me and I am aiming to read 12 books in 2019 – I’m already almost halfway and we haven’t even finished February yet! You can find me on Goodreads here.

Setting such a low target means I am not intimidated by the total, a mistake I’ve made in the past. Today i thought I’d talk to you about the five books I have read so far this year and what I thought of them.

Once Upon A Time In Birmingham: Women Who Dared To Dream by Louise Palfreyman – 5/5

I wrote a review of this book here and it was my first book of the year. I seem to be reading a lot of non-fiction right now (this is one of just two non-fiction books on the list so far but I am currently reading a few others) and I really enjoyed this. This book talks about women, past and present, who made Birmingham what it is today. There are some really recognisable names such as Denise Lewis and others who you may not have heard of before but are really inspirational. This is a book I would really recommend. You can buy it on Amazon here {affiliate link}.

Cherringham (A Cosy Crime Series): Scared To Death (Book 27) by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards – 4/5

If you take a look at my read list on Goodreads, you’ll find all 26 previous Cherringham mysteries on the list. There’s something about them that keeps me going back for more. The familiar characters, the cosy feel. This was the first Cherringham book I had read in a while and it was a great way to dip my toe back into the series. You can buy the book on Kindle here {affiliate link}.

Overcoming The Odds: How I Won £50,000 Of Prizes In Three Years by Rebecca Beesley – 5/5

As a comper, this book was always going to intrigue me. Written by Rebecca from The Beesley Buzz, this book was a fascinating insight into how Rebecca got into entering competitions and the magical experiences she has had as a result of this. I love that her whole family get involved and even found out some new tips myself as an extremely seasoned comper. If you love entering competitions, this is well worth a read. You can buy the book here {affiliate link}.

Cherringham (A Cosy Crime Series): A Dinner To Die For (Book 28) by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards – 4/5

Having got back into the swing of things with Scared To Death, I couldn’t wait to delve back into the series with A Dinner To Die For. It was interesting to see some of the usual background characters such as the pub landlord take centre stage in this mystery and I must admit I did not see the end result coming! A fun and cosy read. You can buy the book on Kindle here {affiliate link}.

Cherringham (A Cosy Crime Series): The Drowned Man (Book 29) by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards – 4/5

To finish up this list, we’ve got book 29 in the Cherringham series, The Drowned Man. This book took on many twists and turns and I definitely did not see the culprit coming. Sometimes I find myself working the culprit out very early on in some of the Cherringham books, other times I have absolutely no clue. This was a great read on the drive home from Weston Super Mare and I’ll be moving onto the next book in the series very soon after I’ve got a couple of others read. You can buy the book on Kindle here {affiliate link}.

Have you set yourself a reading challenge this year? How are you getting on?