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I do a monthly round up for everything we've read each month. Himself focuses on science articles and forums and news, so he's not getting a section - books only!

Large boy

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

"I really enjoyed this of course, it's Rick Riordan what do you expect?"

Yep and it's Thursday evening and large boy hates Thursdays so that's all I'm getting I'm afraid. (See January Reading 2022 when he was sympathetic with Arthur Dent.) I've got to say I agree.

Time-Travel Bath Bomb, Can Doctor Proctor Save Christmas?, and The End of the World. Maybe. by Jo Nesbo

On our random unscheduled library trip a few weeks ago (having spotted large boy's best friend's mum's car in the car park) he spotted some new silly looking books. I didn't like to tell him that Jo Nesbo is a proper author.

He giggled at the fart jokes and steamed through all three of them quickly.

Also read:

  • Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties by Dav Pilkey
  • The Great Dodo Comeback by Fiona Sandiford
  • The Worst Class in the World Gets Worse by Joanna Nadin
  • Toto the Ninja Cat and the Incredible Cheese Heist by Dermot O'Leary

Small boy

Spectacular School Trip (Really…) by Liz Pichon

"It was awesome. No wait. It was spectacular."

This is a proper big boy book for small boy. He was so proud of himself reading the whole thing unsupervised. He's officially a Tom Gates fan and dressed as him for world book day.

The Lonely Lion Cub by Amelia Cobb

"I really liked how Zoe looked after the poorly lion cub and the giraffe was funny."

He's read several of the books in this series now and chose to spend some Christmas money on this one. They're really sweet and he loves them.

Barry Loser and the Holiday of Doom by Jim Smith

"I loved it. I liked that Gino's Pizza restaurant was shaped as a pizza."

Heaven help me, he's reading the junk books! First Tom Gates and then Barry Loser too. Yeah so it's not junk apparently, it's funny and really good according to small boy.

Also read

  • We Are Not Frogs! by Michael Morpurgo
  • Dino-Mike and the Dinosaur Doomsday by Franco Aureliani
  • Flying High by Gina Nuttall
  • Goal! by Alison Hawes
  • Snow Is My Favourite and My Best by Lauren Child
  • Toad Swims for His Life! by Jill Atkins
  • The Chain of Giving by Hiawyn Oram
  • Last-Minute Rescue by Haydn Middleton
  • Mighty Cars by Ian Graham
  • The Squeals on the Bus by Michael Dahl

Me

Books 3 to 6 in the Hidden Norfolk series by J M Dalgliesh

Erm, I might have developed a slight obsession with Tom, Tamara, Cassie and Eric.

Every case is different with the twists and turns that Dalgliesh always delivers, blind alleys and tricky bad guys. Then there's the detectives and the realistic dynamic between them. They just feel so true to life. They bicker and wind each other up and don't share every aspect of their lives with each other.

I'm supposed to be reading La Ferme Africaine, the new Diana Galbandon and a bunch of books leant by my dad. But you can depend on it that I'll be reading the rest of this series first.

How about you?

What books have you and your family enjoyed lately?

Love from Smell xxx