Another year, another reading challenge! Here are my reviews of the books I’ve read the first half of this year.

Vox. Christina Dalcher. This book had an interesting concept, and I saw a lot of potential. But with a long build-up, I felt there was a bit of a rush to finish at the end. It’s OK, just not as good as I had hoped.

Postcards at Christmas. Imogen Clark. It was quite nice to catch up with Cara, Simon and Beth but I was a bit confused about the title until the end when it all came together.

The Year We Muddled Through. Lauren Fennemore. Such a beautiful book about all we learned in 2020. A great way to explain it all to young children.

The Squirrels who Squabbled. Rachel Bright and Jim Field. A lovely book about squirrels chasing nuts in the winter! Gorgeous pictures and fab rhymes.

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill. C.S.Robertson. Now that was a cracking read! Lots of twists and turns I didn’t expect and captivating writing. Excellent stuff, I would definitely recommend it!

I Love You More Than Christmas. Ellie Hattie and Tim Warnes. Very cute, we will definitely re-read at Christmas!

We’re Going On A Bearhunt. Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury. An absolute classic. Sophia loved the rhythm and the sounds and I’m sure it will quickly become a favourite.

Mrs England. Stacey Halls. I liked this book. It has beautiful descriptions and it had me guessing what was going on throughout.

You Are Special. Max Lucado. I picked this for Sophia for her baptism. It’s a beautiful book and I can’t wait to read it with her as she grows.

The Bookshop On The Corner. Jenny Clogan. Heartwarming and cute. A really lovely read. It was just a shame that some of the books described in the story can’t be read in real life!

Puffin Peter. Petr Horáček. A funny, daft book that I’m sure we will read again.

The Beautiful Dead. Belinda Bauer. Another captivating story from Belinda Bauer! Interesting premise and well written. A killer becomes obsessed with getting the attention of a news reporter whose specialism is murder. Definitely worth a read.

One Sheep Short. Bob Hartman. Such a stunning book about sheep number 100! Sophia loved the rhyming and rhythm but it might be a while before she recognises the sheep in the pictures. Gorgeous book though, definitely a must have.

Oh Dear! Rod Campbell. Another excellent Rob Campbell book, and this one with lots of our favourite farm animals in it! Sophia is already a huge fan and I can tell we will be reading it a lot.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Mark Teague & Jane Yolen. Sophia loves to read this over and over again! With great pictures, sounds and rhymes, it’s a firm favourite.

The Familiars. Stacey Halls. Argh, this had so much promise! I thought I’d give Stacey Halls another shot but I just didn’t get on with this book. Too much is hinted at without being explained or developed. I’m not a fan.

Peace At Last. Jill Murphy. I can understand where Mr Bear was coming from! Sometimes it’s hard to get to sleep. Sophia enjoyed looking at the pictures of the bears.

The Rosie Project. Graeme Simsion. What a lovely book! I laughed out loud from a couple of pages in. I love Don and can’t wait to read more of his story.

Little Miss Tidy. Rodger Hargreaves. What a funny book! Sophia thought Little Miss Tidy was well intentioned but quite silly! We love these books.

Mr Tall. Rodger Hargreaves. We liked this one. It made us laugh and helped us to remember to make use of the gifts we were given.

David Carter. The Muder Diaries: Seven Times Over. This book kept me guessing the whole way through. It is interesting, well written, and set in the lovely city of Chester!

How To Eat Bread: 21 Nourishing Ways Yo Read The Bible. Miranda Threlfall-Holmes. I’ve been reading this for Lent and I got a lot out of it! There’s so much to think about and explore in this book and in the Bible itself. I can’t wait to read it again with my study group at church!

Say Hello To The Sun. Dr Lin Day. Sophia loves the rhyming and repetition in the book. She also loves it because of the corn!

Mr Bounce. Rodger Hargreaves. We liked the story about Mr Bounce and the kind Doctor. We think Mr Bouce was very lucky to come across a Doctor having a coffee break because it doesn’t happen all that often!

The Sound Of Sirens. David Carter. I really enjoyed the second installation of Inspector Darriteau! Again, I couldn’t tell what was coming, and I loved that Chester, Liverpool, Formby, Crosby and Aintree all got a mention!

No! My First Book Of Protest. Julie Merberg & Molly Egan. An excellent book which teaches children how to make a difference in the world!

Little Miss Tiny. Rodger Hargreaves. Poor Little Miss Tiny being so small nobody could see her. We were pleased that it was OK in the end, though.

Mr Uppity. Rodger Hargreaves. We were not a fan of Mr Uppity at all! Normally goblins are bad characters but in this instance we were impressed at the change they helped to make in Mr Uppity.

Wiggle and Roar. Julia Donladson & Nick Sharratt. Much as I love most Julia Donaldson books, this was not good for me. Maybe it’s just me but I couldn’t get the rhymes to work well. It’s not going to be a hit in our house.

Little Red Hen and the Grains of Wheat. Henriette Barkow Jago. I liked this book very much. Lots of repetition and an interesting message. I’m not sure how Christ like it is, but in many ways it is fair enough!

The Twelfth Apostle. David Carter. Now this was good. Do these books keep getting better each time?! If so, I can’t wait for the next!

Little Miss Magic. Rodger Hargreaves. In our house, we like the thought of having magic to do all the jobs! Nice book.

Kissing A Killer. David Carter. Not my favourite. I felt there were loose ends that could have been dealt with. Looking forward to the next one regardless though!

The Bad-Tempered Ladybird. Eric Carle. We love this book! ‘Hey you! Want to fight?’ has become a saying in our house!

See you in December!