Every month I post an article that highlights the five articles I wrote that month which have done the best. This started as a great exercise in defining the five best articles from that month. However, with the majority of them now being book reviews and summaries from the previous month (such as this one) it is becoming more of an exercise in which book review gets the most traction.
Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of any of the products.
As I said, the list is chosen only from the articles that I wrote and published that month. So below are these top five with an extract or my summary review of each of the articles.
I write these for a couple of reasons: one, so I can get a good idea of the sort of articles that are working on my blog but also two, so other people who may be bloggers may be interested in finding out what article did well on my blog this month.
5. Dead Head by C.J. Skuse
“Dead Head gets rid of a lot of the monotony and murder of the previous books in the series for a far broader story with more interesting characters. The story has more action and doesn’t just take us through the monotonous actions of an everyday person who’s a serial killer.
Rhiannon is still an opinionated comic but one who is now starting to really question who she is and whether the path she’s taken is the path she wants to continue going forward.
With all of these elements added up, Dead Head is by far the best in the Sweetpea series so far. So if you enjoyed the previous two books, you’ll love this even more but if you struggled with the previous two, it may be worth sticking it out for this one!”
Read the full article here | Pick up a copy of the book here
4. In Bloom by C.J. Skuse
“I think In Bloom falls into the same issues that Sweetpea did before it: the plot never really gets going, not a twisty, exciting tale and you’re constantly waiting for “the big event” to happen but it never really does.
However, it also brings over the massive positives: the down-to-earth writing style and the fascinating character that is Rhiannon. If you enjoyed Sweetpea, you’ll love In Bloom, if you were partial to Sweetpea then I wouldn’t expect In Bloom to blow you away.”
Read my full review here | Pick up a copy of the book here
3. My 5 Most-Read Articles from January 2023
“So, no surprises here really. The best-selling non-fiction book of all time Spare by Prince Harry is also my most-read article from the month. I knew it was going to do well and so I’m not surprised it’s the top-read book of the month.
I’m also not overly surprised by the inclusion of Matthew Perry’s autobiography Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing. It’s a book that was incredibly popular over Christmas and a book that I think many people read not realising the true struggles Perry went through.”
2. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
“Child 44 is one of those books that, despite my low score, has been praised by almost everybody else who’s read it. I found that the story wasn’t particularly engaging because it was written as mostly narrative with not a lot of dialogue and I can immerse myself far more in dialogue. I also found that, despite the great potential of the story, even if I had enjoyed it, none of the characters were particularly loveable so even then, it wouldn’t have been the most enjoyable book for me.
Don’t let my thoughts put you off as I know many have enjoyed Child 44, but do take note of my comments if you know you enjoy a book with more character interaction and more likeable characters too.”
Read my full review here | Pick up a copy of the book here
1. The Four Books I Read in January 2023
“My favourite book of the month had to be Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I’ve already decided there’s a high chance it’s going to feature in my top books of the year list at the end of the year – it’s utterly fantastic; Fredrik backman is a genius writer, managing to balance humour and the serious incredibly well. If you pick up a new author this year, let it be Fredrik Backman.
Spare by Prince Harry is another huge talking point this month. The launch caused a lot of talk, controversies and intrigue in the press for quite a while. My review tries to avoid having too many opinions on the whole debacle and tries to keep it more on the book itself. Have a read, and let me know what you think.”
So in summary…
So it looks like most people were interested in finding out the list of books I read in January in February – it’s a common thing. No matter how many book reviews or articles you write, some people just want to know what books you’ve actually read and whether you liked them or not.
I’m glad I managed to finish the CJ Skuse books (as far as they’ve been written anyway) but was disappointed by Child 44 which many people hyped up to be a far better book than it actually turned out to be.
If you’re a blogger, what were your most successful articles this month? Have you picked up any ideas from those featured on this list that may help you going forward?
Here are some of my most-read articles lists from previous months:
