British Books Challenge:

I love reading, but it can be easy to fall into patterns with the choices of what I read, governed by upcoming reviews, interviews, etc.

Over the past few years blogging I've found that joining up to books challenges has been a great way to encourage myself to read more widely, try even more new authors, and also have a bit of fun in a community sense, sharing reviews and thoughts with others who are completing the challenge. I've particularly enjoyed the Crime Fiction Alphabet and Global Reading Challenges created and run by the likes of book bloggers Kerrie Smith (Mysteries in Paradise), Dorte Jakobsen, and Margot Kinberg (Confessions of a Mystery Novelist).

I'm working on a couple of challenges at the moment, including creating one of my own for other bloggers and reviewers (watch this space), but today I've decided to also sign up for the British Books Challenge. Yes, I know, it's not like British books (particularly crime) are ghettoised or underrepresented in many people's general reading, but I thought this would be a fun way to record the British books I read this year, given I'm now living in the country. I'll also be focusing on trying many new-to-me British authors.

This year's challenge is being hosted on the Fluttering Butterflies book blog. The goal is to read 12 British books; one per month. Though of course you can push higher, and set your own challenge goals.

You can read more about it, and sign up for yourself, here. 

Here is my British Book Challenge reading log so far: 

1. FROZEN OUT by Quentin Bates (English author, Iceland setting): very good crime tale. New-to-me author, read in January 2015. To be reviewed. 
2. BEYOND THE RAGE by Michael J Malone (Scottish): excellent thriller. New-to-me author, read January 2015. Reviewed here. 
3. PRAYER FOR THE DEAD by James Oswald (Scottish): excellent crime tale. New-to-me author, read in March 2015. To be reviewed. 
4. THE SERPENTINE ROAD by Paul Mendelson (English author, South Africa setting): excellent crime tale. New-to-me-author, read in May 2015. To be reviewed. 
5. BROKEN DOLLS by James Carol (English): top notch crime. New-to-me-author, read in May 2015. To be reviewed. 
6. IN BITTER CHILL by Sarah Ward (English): lovely debut mystery. New-to-me-author, read in June 2015. To be reviewed. 

Comment: Hmm... so I'm bang on track with one British crime novel per month. Perhaps less than I would have thought - six out of the 31 crime novels I've read so far in 2015. A much lower percentage than it would have been years ago. Just goes to show the amount of 'global reading' I'm doing nowadays, from a range of countries beyond the traditional powerhouses of USA and Britain.