I read ten books in August and, as always, it was difficult to narrow it down to my five favourite. However, you can find the results of my deliberations below. The link from the book title takes you to my review.
You can keep up to date with all my reading in 2019 here with links to my reviews. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.
First up it’s This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman, a novel based on the true story of the trial and execution of Albert Black. I loved the book for both the treatment of the subject matter and the beautiful writing, describing it as ‘compelling, thought-provoking, moving’. You can read my full review here.
Next it’s literary thriller, Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland, which I read over a number of weeks as part of the buddy read organised by the publishers, Quercus. Set in the art world, it combines a mystery with a fascinating picture of the intensely personal, almost visceral nature of the process of creating art, and the commercialization of the modern art world. With a narrator whose name the reader never learns, I loved the nods to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. You can read my full review here.
From fiction to non-fiction and Untitled: The Real Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anna Pasternak. The author unashamedly sets herself the objective of rehabilitating Wallis’s reputation in history, putting forward her side of the story and attempting to quash some of the accusations levelled at her. Whether it’s overly biased towards Wallis is up to the reader to decide but I certainly found it full of fascinating information. You can read my full review here.
Regular followers of this blog will know that I often feel guilty about the number of review copies received from authors that I’ve not yet read or reviewed. So it’s always great to remove one from the pile and even better if the book proves to be a great read. Such was the case with The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett. Set in 1841, it tells the story of fifteen-year-old Bridie who is travelling to Australia with her mother and stepfather to start a new life. I described it as ‘an absorbing, skilfully crafted coming-of-age story that takes the reader…on an often turbulent and emotional journey’ but you can read my full review here.
Finally, there’s Ike and Kay by James MacManus, the fictionalized account of the real life relationship between General Dwight Eisenhower and his driver, Kay Summersby. I loved the way their relationship was portrayed as well as the fascinating detail about the preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe. You can read my full review here.
What were your favourite books from last month’s reading?
The Vanished Bride 
