30 Day Challenge | 30 Books in 30 Days Results

My 30 Day Challenge for September was to read 30 books in 30 days. Because I’m an idiot. Well, actually it wasn’t that bad. I managed to read: 18 books in 30 days. That’s 60% of a book per day.

Before I tell you which books I managed to read, and give a little review of each, here are the books on my TBR for the month.

30 Books in 30 Day Results

150 pages or less

The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind – 77 pages

Night by Elie Wiesel – 144 pages

The Awakening by Kate Chopin – 133 pages

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – 109 pages

The Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffmann – 96 pages

200 pages or less

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson – 197 pages

Heartburn by Nora Ephron – 189 pages

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen – 168 pages

Coming Undone by Terri White – 175 pages

300 pages or less

Before the Coffee Gets Gold: Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – 272 pages

House of Names by Colm Toibin – 262 pages

The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock – 261 pages

The White Horse by Elizabeth Godge – 238 pages

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – 233 pages

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes – 228 pages

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce – 227 pages

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter – 214 pages

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf – 209 pages

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix – 203 pages

Places I Stopped on the Way by Meg Fee – 202 pages

The Hungover Games by Sophie Heawood – 264 pages

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – 288 pages

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla – 227 pages

400 pages or less

Girl A by Abigail Dean – 336 pages

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi – 315 pages

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks – 307 pages

Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier – 302 pages

400 pages or more

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier – 436 pages

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai – 433 pages

Fleabag: The Scripts by Phoebe Waller-Bridge – 402 pages

Quite a selection. But, drum roll please, here are the books I managed to read throughout September.

What I Read

The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind – 2 stars

I wasn’t a fan of this novella, unfortunately. Doesn’t have the suspense and atmosphere of his novel Perfume.

The Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffmann – 4 stars

This is a surprisingly scary Christmas book, but one I’m very glad to have finally read.

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai – 5 stars

Oh my god, this book! I was a weepy mess after the ending of this. Slightly slow burn but the ending will break you.

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla – 4 stars

Read as part of my Diversity Book Club at work. Very enlightening and change-making.

The Hungover Games by Sophie Heawood – 4 stars

This was a very gripping memoir, although the name is more of a pun choice rather than actually relevant to the book. Still, worthwhile reading.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – 5 stars

I now understand why this is Agatha Christie’s most popular novel. It’s a spectacular mystery – even when I already knew the ending.

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen – 4 stars

This memoir started off really well, very personal and gripping. But by the end, it was more ranty and without a purpose.

Coming Undone by Terri White – 2 stars

I did not enjoy this memoir. It’s been praised for being intensely raw and honest, but to me, it was just depressing and woe-is-me. I feel for Terri, she’s had a tough life – but she’s also incredibly successful and I would have rather she spoke about how she managed a career whilst falling apart.

The Covent Garden Ladies by Hallie Rubenhold – 3 stars

I adored Hallie’s book The Five, however, I wasn’t such a fan of her previous book about the Covent Garden Ladies. It lacked the personality and empathy of her later book.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – 3 stars

Another – I liked the original book but this one not so much. Before the Coffee Gets Cold was a heart-wrenching and completely unique read. This sequel is sweet and holds onto the original storylines, but it was still a bit too same-y.

How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Speaking by Viv Groskop – 4 stars

I’ve tried reading this book multiple times before and just couldn’t get into it. Clearly, it wasn’t the right time, as this time around I read it in a day and really enjoyed it. Viv gives some great tips on how to speak up as a woman.

Beach Read by Emily Henry – 4 stars

I was in need of a little romance so deviated from my TBR to read this. It’s a very American romance, and kind of reminded me of The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock – minus the time travel element – very sweet and enjoyable.

Night by Elie Wiesel – 5 stars

I haven’t read many holocaust memoirs, but this one has been on my to-read list for years and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. It is utterly heartbreaking but also so important. Everyone should read it.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – 2 stars

I was hoping for another Frankenstein when I picked up Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but I just didn’t click with this story. The timing and characters aren’t what you’d expect and I think the premise of this book has been adapted too many times now that the book doesn’t live up to the other stories told about these characters.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyashi – 5 stars

Another book on my ‘why haven’t I read this book yet’ list. I’ve had Homegoing sitting on my shelf ever since it came out, and again previously started it but put it down. Clearly, I was an idiot. It’s brilliant, a wonderful piece of storytelling.

Zeus is a Dick by Sue Donkin – 4 stars

I love anything to do with greek mythology so of course – with a title like Zeus is a Dick – I had to request a copy on NetGalley. This is the everyday version of Mythos by Stephen Fry. Honestly, almost the story-by-story but it’s much funnier, exceedingly rude and just great reading.

The Shadow Man by Helen Fields – 5 stars

This is the first standalone from Helen Fields that Avon is publishing and I am so glad I get to work on this book!! That’s all I have to say about that…

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell – 4 stars

And finally, years after watching the gorgeous BBC adaptation with Richard Armitage I have finally read (or listened to) North and South and it was glorious. Not quite your straightforward romance but a great depiction of characters and class struggles in the industrial era.

I’m quite pleased with that result. Not quite 30 books but over halfway there! I’ll have to try this 30 Day Challenge again next year.

Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest // Bloglovin // Instagram // Waterstones // TikTok