Fi Phillips

Last year I set myself a reading list of twelve books. I reckoned one book a month was doable  but unfortunately I failed abysmally. I managed three books over the year. Well, that's not totally true. I read three books from my list but also read several ARC books and draft novels for fellow writers. Still, I didn't meet the challenge I set for myself. This year, I'm doing things differently. Rather than setting a list of books to read and ticking them off as finished, I'm going to add to my 'read' list on the right of this page as I finish each book. I'll review the novels that stand out as special too. As writers, we need to read. It's the other side to our creativity. 2017 is going to see a lot of change in my life and committing to read as much as possible is one of those changes. Wish me luck.

After the build up to Christmas and the day itself, my family and I are having a few days at home together. It's all very relaxed and with no real plans to keep to. Late nights, family games and good company. My husband and children are taking advantage of the lack of routine to have lie-ins so I'm usually first up, enjoying the quiet with my morning coffee. It gives me time to think and reflect on the year that's almost over. It's been generally a good one, in some ways quite magical, and definitely a year I want to remember. Back in January, I posted my 2015 reading list and my goals for the year . I didn't do very well with the reading list, only completing three of the fifteen (even worse than in 2014). I must read more next year. I did better with my goals. I revised and polished my novel and began the search for an agent. I returned to the partial first draft of my second novel which now requires a massive rethink because of changes to the first novel. Du...

Last year's reading list looked something like this: Ninety-Five Percent Human by Suzanna Williams (read it) Skulduggery Pleasant  by Derek Landy (read it) The Rose Labyrinth  by Titania Hardie (read it) A is for Angelica by Iain Broome (read it) Dream Country by Donna Sorenson (read it) Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman Touch of Death  by Kelly Hashway (read it) Small Kindnesses by Satya Robyn The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Sepulchre by Kate Mosse Magyk by Angie Sage Dark is the Sea by Heather Blanchard (read it) The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Never Look Back by Clare Donoghue I read seven out of fifteen books, not bad, but there's much room for improvement. My 2015 reading list looks like this: Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman Small Kindnesses by Satya Robyn The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Sepulchre by Kate Mosse Magyk by Angie Sage The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon T...

I've just added a new page to my blog (you can see it on the Pages panel on the top right of this page) - my reading list for 2014 . I've drawn books from two intentions. Firstly, back in January, I told you that the nearest I'd come to making a new year's resolution would be the decision to read books of writers that I knew and interacted with online. Then in February, I told you how I was adding to my reading list by taking part in The Year of Reading Women . There are fifteen books on my list. After a busy start to the year, I'm lagging behind as I've only read the first two, although I have started on number three. I'll review some of the books on my blog (have you seen my review of the first book on my list, Ninety-Five Percent Human ?). What about you? What's on your reading list this year?