As it nears the end of the year it’s time to reflect back on all the books I have read throughout 2012 and selecting a couple that I would recommend to anyone – friend or foe.  So without giving away any plot spoilers in case they are on your ‘to-read’ list for 2013 here we go:

Like the majority of you we have been enjoying the coverage of the Olympics from the comfort of our sofas here at Book Exchange HQ.  We have cheered, cried and celebrated with all the sporting prowess on show since 27 July 2012 so thought it would be apt to start compiling a list of some of the top sporting fiction & biographies on our shelves at the moment.

As you know when I launched the book exchange we partnered with the Dyslexia Research Trust and now donate 20p for every book traded-in with us to the Trust to support them raise awareness of the condition in the UK.  I choose the DRT as coming from a family of dyslexic’s I am really interested in the unique strategies, methods and creative approaches dyslexic’s have to incorporate when reading and writing.   

After scouring the internet we have compiled a list of the 12 books that have been read, enjoyed and recommended by various different reading groups creating your years’ worth of ‘must have’ book club reads...

Huzzah it’s my birthday so in truly celebratory mood I'll be giving away credit for every book reviewed by you on the site today.

Recently I’ve enjoyed writing short reviews again and I’ve whiled away many hours looking over reader-review sites and subscribing to lots of lovely readers blogs (two of my favourites are Follow the Thread and Farm Lane Books Blog).  Not only has this helped me add lots of new books to my to-read list but it's also helped me to compile some hints and pointers for longer book reviewing.