This past few days seem to have flown by and I managed to miss the watershed moment of my read-a-thon efforts: I finished a book! I know, quite the achievement. I honestly am in awe of the people that are in double figures. I will never understand how people can read that many books in a week. Let’s have a tiny bit of a catch-up, along with today’s update…
Day 7: SUNDAY 15th DECEMBER
Pages read: 100 pages (I love these happy round numbers that I keep happening upon!)
Books read from:Cracked by Eliza Crewe; A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Pages read so far: 490 pages
Books read so far: ONE!! HALLELUJAH!!
We went to visit Boyfriend’s family for lunch on Sunday, which was lovely. It used be an annual “spread” (as they’re apparently known in Yorkshire…) but his grandparents are in their 80s and not up to hosting anymore so going out for lunch has become the replacement event. Despite the fact that I wasn’t driving, I got absolutely no reading done and decorated the rest of the afternoon away…we’re edging closer to the day that we get to put some colour on the living room walls and I am beyond excited about that day at this point. I know, I’m exciting like that.
Anyway, when I finally did get settled down to read Cracked, I flew through the final pages and really, really enjoyed it. There’s a lot of YA with similar sounding ideas out there at the moment, particularly urban fantasy ones, but there was a lot going for this one and my review (if it appears before the end of the year…) will be a positive one. Never mind the fact that the book was good, I FINISHED IT, which is cause for celebration in itself.
Day 8: MONDAY 16th DECEMBER
Pages read: 60 pages
Books read from:A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Pages read so far: 550 pages
Books read so far: One – Cracked by Eliza Crewe
Oh, what my reading totals would be if it wasn’t for work. I got some reading tucked in around commuting and making dinner and watching festive cooking programmes but not a massive amount. I got stuck into Book 3 of A Tale of Two Cities though and it is everything that was good about Book 2 and then some. I am now genuinely concerned for the welfare of the characters and that is a big step in itself!
I posted my thoughts on the second half of Book 2 here, although I only recommend that you head over to that post if you either aren't bothered about spoilers for Books 1 and 2 or you've already read A Tale of Two Cities.
Day 9: TUESDAY 17th DECEMBER
Pages read: 162 pages
Books read from:A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo
Pages read so far: 712 pages
Books read so far:Cracked by Eliza Crewe; A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
11.43am: If A Tale of Two Cities goes where I think it’s going, Dickens and I are heading for a fall out. I only have about 60 pages left to go and I don’t even want to see how much of that is actual story and not afterwords and such in case I see something that spoils the ending. So I actually might be nearer to the end than I think I am. Whichever way, I’ve got to catch the train soon to a meeting and I’m not sure whether I want to read what I have left and find out what happens or whether there’s a significant risk that I’ll get weepy and ruin my make-up, in which case I’ll be better reading it when I get home and picking something else for the train. Decisions, decisions!
Update: BOOK TWO! I finished A Tale of Two Cities while I was out and about today and really enjoyed the ending. I had to wipe away a few tears in a discreet fashion both to avoid looking like a plonker on the train and to avoid my make-up being ruined when I was on my way to a meeting but it was worth it. I'm disgruntled with Dickens for hiding such a good final part behind such a rubbish first part, actually. More thoughts at the weekend but in the meantime, I have finished a second book and that is an achievement indeed. Let's not mention the fact that I had already read a third of this when we started out...
