Monthly round-up: September 2016

Hi everyone and welcome to October. I can’t believe we’re three quarters through the year…though the way the weather was this morning I knew Summer was definitely over. Being the first of the month though it means it’s time for a monthly round-up of what I’ve read…the good, the not-so-good, and the wished I hadn’t bothered books that made up my September.  Here they are…

Loved

Why Did You Lie? by Ysra Sigurdardottir, a new contender for my book of the year and a new author for me. Set in Iceland, this was a claustrophobic read that had me turning the pages.

Killer on the Fens by Joy Ellis, a serial killer novel that had me thinking it was something else instead at first, a nice surprise, with great characters and an atmospheric setting.

Liked a Lot

The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne, the second book I read by this author but the one I preferred. This is a spooky tale where nothing and no one is what they seem.

The Highway by C. J. Box, another new author to me who’s back catalogue I will looking for. This was a serial killer story with a strong female lead who took moral, if not legal, decisions.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins which I had held off reading because of the hype (and am stil glad I did) but ended up really enjoying. It’s a thriller with some clever plot twists and unreliable characters so you don’t know where the truth lies.

Blind Side by Jennie Ensor, a thriller set against the backdrop of the 7/7 bombings and the tensions people felt at the time.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, the second in the Miss Peregrine trilogy about peculiar children trapped in time and in danger. For me, this might have been better than the first.

Not for me

Girl Number One by Jane Holland which I feel less generous towards the more I think about it. It sounded great and left me disappointed with poor character development and a plot that felt flat.

And that’s it for me. What about you – how was your month in books?

emma