Monthly Reading Summary – January 2024

Top Book of the Month – ‘Anne Boleyn’s Letter from the Tower: New Updated Edition’ by Sandra Vasoli

Book Club Book This Month – N/A

Books Read This Month:

• ‘Faking Christmas’ by Kerry Winfrey ★★★
• ‘Four Weddings and a Christmas’ by Phillipa Ashley ★★★★
• ‘Anne Boleyn’s Letter from the Tower: New Updated Edition’ by Sandra Vasoli ★★★★★
• ‘How To Kill Your Family’ by Bella Mackie ★★★★
• ‘Mary I: Queen of Sorrows’ by Alison Weir ★★★★
• ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ by Agatha Christie ★★★★

Books Bought This Month:

• ‘Unladylike Lessons in Love’ by Amita Murray
• ‘The Whalebone Theatre’ by Joanna Quinn
• ‘Must Love Books’ by Shauna Robinson
• ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ by Holly Jackson
• ‘Pride and Premeditation’ by Tirzah Price
• ‘Mary I: Queen of Sorrows’ by Alison Weir
• ‘Holbein at the Tudor Court’ by Kate Heard
• ‘My Legendary Girlfriend’ by Mike Gayle
• ‘Murder on the Lusitania’ by Edward Marston
• ‘Sisters Behaving Badly’ by Maddie Please

Statistics:

• Books Read – 6
• Currently Reading – 1
• TBR – 244

• Fiction – 1 (16.67%)
• Non-Fiction – 5 (83.33%)

• Male Author – 0 (0.00%)
• Female Author – 6 (100.00%)
• Non-Binary Author – 0 (0.00%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0.00%)

• Paperback – 3 (50.00%)
• Hardback – 0 (0.00%)
• eBook – 3 (50.00%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0.00%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,910
• Average Pages Per Book – 318.33
• Hours Listened – 0.00

• Average Star Rating – 4.00

Monthly Reading Summary – October 2023

Top Book of the Month – ‘Trouble’ by Lex Croucher

Book Club Book This Month – ‘Hallowe’en Party’ by Agatha Christie

Books Read This Month:

• ‘Richard III: A Failed King?’ by Rosemary Horrox ★★★
• ‘Trouble’ by Lex Croucher ★★★★
• ‘To Marry and to Meddle’ by Martha Waters ★★★★
• ‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood ★★★★
• ‘To Swoon and to Spar’ by Martha Waters ★★★

Books Bought This Month:

• ‘Hex and the City’ by Kate Johnson
• ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘Death in the Clouds’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘Death on the Nile’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘After the Funeral’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘Cat Among the Pigeons’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘Hallowe’en Party’ by Agatha Christie
• ‘Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage that Shook Europe’ by John Guy & Julia Fox

Statistics:

• Books Read – 5
• Currently Reading – 2
• TBR – 223

• Fiction – 4 (80.00%)
• Non-Fiction – 1 (20.00%)

• Male Author – 1 (20.00%)
• Female Author – 3 (60.00%)
• Non-Binary Author – 1 (60.00%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0.00%)

• Paperback – 5 (100.00%)
• Hardback – 0 (0.00%)
• eBook – 0 (0.00%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0.00%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,495
• Average Pages Per Book – 299
• Hours Listened – 0.00

• Average Star Rating – 3.6

Monthly Reading Summary – September 2023

Top Book of the Month – ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ by Casey McQuiston

Book Club Book This Month – ‘Our Wives Under the Sea’ by Julia Armfield

Books Read This Month:

• ‘Anne of Athelhampton and the Riddle of the Apes’ by Giles Keating ★★★
• ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ by Casey McQuiston ★★★★★
• ‘The Tudors by Numbers: The Stories and Statistics Behind England’s Most Infamous Royal Dynasty’ by Carol Ann Lloyd ★★★★★
• ‘A Perfect Cornish Christmas’ by Phillipa Ashley ★★★★
• ‘Henry VI: A Good, Simple and Innocent Man’ by James Ross ★★★★
• ‘A Secret Cornish Summer’ by Phillipa Ashley ★★★★
• ‘Our Wives Under the Sea’ by Julia Armfield ★★

Books Bought This Month:

• ‘The Roughest Draft’ by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
• ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ by Casey McQuiston
• ‘Accidental Magic’ by Iris Beaglehole
• ‘To Swoon and to Spar’ by Martha Waters
• ‘A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting’ by Sophie Irwin
• ‘Our Wives Under the Sea’ by Julia Armfield
• ‘Roomies’ by Christina Lauren
• ‘The Christmas Murder Game’ by Alexandra Benedict
• ‘Trouble’ by Lex Croucher
• ‘The Running Grave’ by Robert Galbraith

Statistics:

• Books Read – 7
• Currently Reading – 2
• TBR – 219

• Fiction – 5 (71.43%)
• Non-Fiction – 2 (28.57%)

• Male Author – 2 (28.57%)
• Female Author – 4 (57.14%)
• Non-Binary Author – 1 (14.29%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0%)

• Paperback – 1 (14.29%)
• Hardback – 1 (14.29%)
• eBook – 5 (71.42%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,974
• Average Pages Per Book – 282.00
• Hours Listened – 0.00

• Average Star Rating – 3.86

Monthly Reading Summary – August 2023

Top Book of the Month – ‘Falling Hard for the Royal Guard’ by Megan Clawson

Book Club Book This Month – ‘The Cat Who Saved Books’ by Sosuke Natsukawa

Books Read This Month:

• ‘Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown’ by Alison Weir ★★★
• ‘Penelope: Tudor Baroness’ by Tony Riches ★★★★
• ‘The Lost Bookshop’ by Evie Woods ★★★★
• ‘Falling Hard for the Royal Guard’ by Megan Clawson ★★★★★
• ‘Holbein’s Hidden Gem: Rediscovering Thomas Cromwell’s Lost Book’ by Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey ★★★★★

Books Bought This Month:

• ‘Falling Hard for the Royal Guard’ by Megan Clawson
• ‘The Afterlife of Anne Boleyn: Representations of Anne Boleyn in Fiction and on the Screen’ by Stephanie Russo
• ‘Tudors and Stuarts on Film: Historical Perspectives’ by Susan Doran & Thomas Freeman
• ‘The Historian and Film’ by Paul Smith
• ‘Holbein’s Hidden Gem: Rediscovering Thomas Cromwell’s Lost Book’ by Owen Emmerson & Kate McCaffrey
• ‘The Boleyns of Hever Castle’ by Owen Emmerson & Claire Ridgway
• ‘It Should Have Been Me’ by Phillipa Ashley
• ‘The Witch is Back’ by Sophie H. Morgan
• ‘The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper’ by Hallie Rubenhold
• ‘Broken Homes’ by Ben Aaronovitch
• ‘Foxglove Summer’ by Ben Aaronovitch
• ‘The Hanging Tree’ by Ben Aaronovitch
• ‘A Ticket to Oblivion’ by Edward Marston
• ‘The Circus Train Conspiracy’ by Edward Marston
• ‘A Christmas Railway Mystery’ by Edward Marston
• ‘Blood on the Line’ by Edward Marston
• ‘Murder on the Minnesota’ by Edward Marston
• ‘The Cosy Cat Society’ by Charlie Lyndhurst
• ‘Murder in a Mill Town’ by Helen Cox
• ‘Styx and Stones’ by Carola Dunn

Statistics:

• Books Read – 5
• Currently Reading – 2
• TBR – 216

• Fiction – 4 (80%)
• Non-Fiction – 1 (20%)

• Male Author – 1 (20%)
• Female Author – 3 (60%)
• Multiple Authors – 1 (20%)

• Paperback – 4 (80%)
• Hardback – 0 (0%)
• eBook – 1 (20%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,769
• Average Pages Per Book – 353.80
• Hours Listened – 0.00

• Average Star Rating – 4.2

Monthly Reading Summary – April 2023

Top Book of the Month – ‘The Little Venice Bookshop’ by Rebecca Raisin

Book Club Book This Month – ‘Do I Know You?’ by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Books Read This Month:

• ‘Payback’s a Witch’ by Lana Harper ★★★★
• ‘Henry VIII and Charles V: Rival Monarchs, Uneasy Allies’ by Richard Heath ★★★★
• ‘The Undomestic Goddess’ by Sophie Kinsella ★★★★
• ‘The Little Venice Bookshop’ by Rebecca Raisin ★★★★★
• ‘Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm’ by Jeremy Clarkson ★★★★
• ‘Do I Know You?’ by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka ★★★★
• ‘The Golden Prince’ by Alison Weir ★★★★

Books Bought This Month:

• ‘The Little Venice Bookshop’ by Rebecca Raisin
• ‘Aria’s Travelling Bookshop’ by Rebecca Raisin
• ‘Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop’ by Rebecca Raisin
• ‘Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop’ by Rebecca Raisin
• ‘To Davy Jones Below’ by Carola Dunn
• ‘The Undomestic Goddess’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers’ by Jesse Sutanto
• ‘Do I Know You?’ by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
• ‘Peril on the Royal Train’ by Edward Marston
• ‘Signal for Vengeance’ by Edward Marston
• ‘Tools of Engagement’ by Tessa Bailey
• ‘Love Her or Lose Her’ by Tessa Bailey
• ‘Fix Her Up’ by Tessa Bailey
• ‘Back in a Spell’ by Lana Harper
• ‘From Bad to Cursed’ by Lana Harper
• ‘The Golden Prince’ by Alison Weir
• ‘The Tudors’ by Richard Rex
• ‘Christmas at the Cornish Café’ by Phillipa Ashley

Statistics:

• Books Read – 7
• Currently Reading – 2
• TBR – 194

• Fiction – 5 (71.42%)
• Non-Fiction – 2 (28.58%)

• Male Author – 2 (28.58%)
• Female Author – 4 (57.13%)
• Multiple Authors – 1 (14.29%)

• Paperback – 1 (14.29%)
• Hardback – 1 (14.29%)
• eBook – 4 (57.13%)
• Audiobook – 1 (14.29%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,705
• Average Pages Per Book – 284.17
• Hours Listened – 2.5

• Average Star Rating – 4.14

Monthly Reading Summary – January 2023

Top Book of the Month – ‘The Princess Saves Herself in This One’ by Amanda Lovelace

Book Club Book This Month – ‘The Witch’s Heart’ by Genevieve Gornichec

Books Read This Month:

• ‘Elizabeth I: Life and Legacy of the Virgin Queen’ by Paul Kendall ★★★★
• ‘Hex Appeal’ by Kate Johnson ★★★★
• ‘To Have and to Hoax’ by Martha Waters ★★★★
• ‘The Princess Saves Herself in This One’ by Amanda Lovelace ★★★★★
• ‘The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic’ by Sophie Kinsella ★★★★
• ‘The Twist of a Knife’ by Anthony Horowitz ★★★
• ‘Shopaholic Abroad’ by Sophie Kinsella ★★★
• ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood’ by Roald Dahl ★★★★★

Books Bought This Month:

• ‘The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Shopaholic Abroad’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Shopaholic Ties the Knot’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Shopaholic and Sister’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Shopaholic and Baby’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Mini Shopaholic’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Shopaholic to the Stars’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Shopaholic to the Rescue’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Christmas Shopaholic’ by Sophie Kinsella
• ‘Three Sisters’ by Heather Morris
• ‘The Witch’s Heart’ by Genevieve Gornichec
• ‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood
• ‘The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman
• ‘The Elizabethans’ by A.N. Wilson
• ‘The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made Britain’ by Derek Wilson
• ‘Rattle His Bones’ by Carola Dunn
• ‘The Reign of Henry VIII: Politics, Policy and Piety’ by Diarmaid MacCulloch
• ‘Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery’ by Eric Ives
• ‘Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown’ by Alison Weir

Statistics:

• Books Read – 8
• Currently Reading – 3
• TBR – 174

• Fiction – 7 (87.5%)
• Non-Fiction – 1 (12.5%)

• Male Author – 3 (37.5%)
• Female Author – 5 (62.5%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0%)

• Paperback – 5 (62.5%)
• Hardback – 1 (12.5%)
• eBook – 0 (0%)
• Audiobook – 2 (25%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,878
• Average Pages Per Book – 313
• Hours Listened – 11.68

• Average Star Rating – 4.00

Monthly Reading Summary – November 2022

There has been a lot going on generally this year so it’s no surprise that once again I haven’t read as many books as I would have liked. Our book group read for November was ‘A Flicker in the Dark’ by Stacy Willingham.

Books Read This Month:

Mickey Mayhew – Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots: The Men Who Kept the Stuart Queen ★★★★

• Hardback, 2022, Pen and Sword
• Adult Non-Fiction, History

Grady Hendrix – The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires ★★

• Paperback, 2020, Quirk Books
• Adult Fiction, Horror

Julia Chapman – Date with Deceit ★★★

• Audiobook, 2021, Pan Macmillan
• Adult Fiction, Cosy Crime

Emily Henry – You and Me on Vacation ★★

• Paperback, 2021, Penguin Books
• Adult Fiction, Chic Lit

Nathen Amin – Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders: Simnel, Warbeck, and Warwick ★★★★★

• Hardback, 2020, Amberley Publishing
• Adult Non-Fiction, History

Books Bought This Month:

• Stacy Willingham – A Flicker in the Dark
• Natalie Grueninger – The Final Year of Anne Boleyn
• Stephanie Garber – Once Upon a Broken Heart
• Kate Johnson – Hex Affair
• Rosie Blake – The Hygge Holiday

Statistics:

• Books Read – 5
• Currently Reading – 2
• TBR – 159

• Fiction – 3 (60%)
• Non-Fiction – 2 (40%)

• Male Author – 3 (60%)
• Female Author – 2 (40%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0%)

• Paperback – 2 (40%)
• Hardback – 2 (40%)
• eBook – 0 (0%)
• Audiobook – 1 (20%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,336
• Average Pages Per Book – 334
• Hours Listened – 11.25

• Average Star Rating – 3.2

Monthly Reading Summary – October 2022

It’s been a really really slow reading month this month; just lots of things going on, and I was away seeing family for a week as well. Our book group read for this month was ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix. I also tend to gain a lot of books in October because of my birthday.

Books Read This Month:

Terry Deary – The Peasants’ Revolting Lives ★★★★

• Paperback, 2020, Pen and Sword
• Adult Non-Fiction, History

Beth O’Leary – The Road Trip ★★★

• Paperback, 2021, Quercus Publishing
• Adult Fiction, Chic Lit

Richard Charles Cobb – On the Trail of Jack the Ripper ★★★★

• Paperback, 2022, Pen and Sword
• Adult Non-Fiction, True Crime

Books Bought This Month:

• Phil Roberts – Cardinal Wolsey: For King and Country
• Helen Carr & Suzannah Lipscomb – What is History, Now?
• Grady Hendrix – The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
• Richard Charles Cobb – On the Trail of Jack the Ripper
• Paul Kendall – Queen Elizabeth I: Life and Legacy of the Virgin Queen
• Stephanie Laurens – Foes, Friends, and Lovers
• Stephanie Laurens – The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child
• Shaun Bythell – Remainders of the Day: More Diaries from The Bookshop, Wigtown
• Tom Felton – Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
• Joanne Paul – The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England

Statistics:

• Books Read – 3
• Currently Reading – 4
• TBR – 155

• Fiction – 1 (33.34%)
• Non-Fiction – 2 (66.66%)

• Male Author – 2 (66.66%)
• Female Author – 1 (33.34%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0%)

• Paperback – 3 (100%)
• Hardback – 0 (0%)
• eBook – 0 (0%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0%)

• Total Pages Read – 770
• Average Pages Per Book – 256.66
• Hours Listened – 0

• Average Star Rating – 3.66

Monthly Reading Summary – July 2022

I can’t seem to speed up reading, but I am enjoying everything I’m reading at the moment. I’m trying to work my way through my TBR list just reading whatever takes my fancy at the time as I’ve got such a large selection anyway to get through! No book club read this month as we’re discussing last month’s due to a missed month.

Books Read This Month:

• Linda Collins & Siobhan Clarke – Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship ★★★★★
  • Hardback, 2022, The History Press
  • Adult Non-Fiction, History

• Ben Aaronovitch – Rivers of London ★★★★★
  • Paperback, 2011, Gollancz
  • Adult Fiction, Fantasy & Sci Fi

• Lyssa Kay Adams – The Bromance Book Club ★★★★
  • Paperback, 2019, Headline Eternal
  • Adult Fiction, Chic Lit

• Ben Aaronovitch – Moon Over Soho ★★★★
  • Paperback, 2011, Gollancz
  • Adult Fiction, Fantasy & Sci Fi

Books Bought This Month:

• Naomi Novik – Temeraire
• Naomi Novik – Throne of Jade
• David Loades – The Seymours of Wolf Hall: A Tudor Family Story
• John Edwards – Mary I: The Daughter of Time
• Stephen Alford – Edward VI: The Last Boy King
• Ben Aaronovitch – Moon Over Soho
• Ben Aaronovitch – Whispers Underground
• A.J. Pollard – Edward IV: The Summer King

Statistics:

• Books Read – 4
• Currently Reading – 2
• TBR – 149

• Fiction – 3 (75%)
• Non-Fiction – 1 (25%)

• Male Author – 2 (50%)
• Female Author – 1 (25%)
• Multiple Authors – 1 (25%)

• Paperback – 3 (75%)
• Hardback – 1 (25%)
• eBook – 0 (0%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,334
• Average Pages Per Book – 333.5
• Hours Listened – 0

• Average Star Rating – 4

Monthly Reading Summary – April 2022

I really enjoyed the books I read this month, though I really need to speed up reading as my TBR list is growing rather than shrinking! Oops. So many books, so little time. Our book club read for this month was a book that I absolutely love; ‘The Word is Murder’ by Anthony Horowitz.

Books Read This Month:

• Mickey Mayhew – House of Tudor: A Grisly History
  • Hardback, 2022, Pen & Sword
  • Adult Non-Fiction, History

• Anthony Horowitz – The Word is Murder
  • Paperback, 2017, Arrow Books
  • Adult Fiction, Crime & Mystery

• Naomi Novik – A Deadly Education
  • Hardback, 2020, Del Rey
  • Adult Fiction, Fantasy

• Naomi Novik – The Last Graduate
  • Hardback, 2021, Del Rey
  • Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Books Bought This Month:

• Carrie Hope Fletcher – With This Kiss
• Victoria Mas – The Mad Women’s Ball
• Sarah Penner – The Lost Apothecary

Statistics:

• Books Read – 4
• Currently Reading – 3
• TBR – 141

• Fiction – 3 (75%)
• Non-Fiction – 1 (25%)

• Male Author – 2 (50%)
• Female Author – 2 (50%)
• Multiple Authors – 0 (0%)

• Paperback – 1 (25%)
• Hardback – 3 (75%)
• eBook – 0 (0%)
• Audiobook – 0 (0%)

• Total Pages Read – 1,285
• Average Pages Per Book – 321.25
• Hours Listened – 0

• Average Star Rating – 4.00