Category: Uncategorized

20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge 2019

whatcathyreadnext23 Comments

20 Books of Summer 2019

This annual challenge is run by my namesake Cathy at 746 Books.  This year it takes place between 3rd June and 3rd September.  I participated for the first time last year but didn’t manage to organise/discipline my reading enough to complete my list. I’m determined to do better this year.

As Cathy explains, the rules are simple.  Take the Books of Summer image, pick your own 10, 15 or 20 books you’d like to read and link back Cathy’s master post at 746 Books on 3 June 2019 so she knows that you are taking part.  The rules are accommodating as well.  Want to swap a book? Go for it.  Fancy changing your list half way through? No problem.  Deciding to drop your goal from 20 to 15? She’s fine with that.

In putting together my list, I decided to concentrate on four categories:

  • Blog tour commitments I have from June onwards
  • Review copies sent to me by lovely publishers or won in giveaways run by Readers First
  • Books from my TBR pile
  • Unread books received in my monthly Reading In Heels subscription box

You can find my list below with links to the book description on Goodreads. I’ll update the list with links to my reviews when (note, not if) I’ve read them.

  1. The Playground Murders by Lesley Thomson Read and reviewed 
  2. The Serpent’s Mark by S.W. Perry Read and reviewed
  3. Birdie & Jude by Phyllis H. Moore Read and reviewed
  4. A Modern Family by Helga Flatland Read and reviewed
  5. Motive X by Stefan Ahnhem Read and reviewed
  6. The Mathematical Bridge by Jim Kelly
  7. Fled by Meg Keneally  Read and reviewed
  8. Improvement by Joan Silber
  9. The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle Read and reviewed
  10. The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey
  11. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
  12. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
  13. In My Life by Alan Johnson Read and reviewed
  14. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
  15. Munich by Robert Harris
  16. Ponti by Sharlene Teo
  17. Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
  18. House of Beauty by Melba Escobar
  19. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
  20. Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton

 

 

 

 

 

My 5 Favourite March Reads

whatcathyreadnext5 Comments

favourite

I finished twelve books in March including a couple of five-star reads and several that came close.  You can find details of my five favourite books below.  Click on the book title to view the book description on Goodreads.

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 is crime novel, Poetic Justice by R.C. Bridgestock.  A prequel to the popular series featuring DI Jack Dylan, it was the perfect introduction to the series for new readers such as myself.  I described it as ‘gritty, atmospheric and full of drama’ and you can read my full review here.

Staying with crime, this time of the historical variety, and another prequel is The Road to Grantchester by James Runcie.  Starting with the young Sidney’s traumatic experiences in World War 2 through to the discovery of his vocation as a parish priest, it introduces readers to the character they will meet meet in the first book of the series, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death.  I thought it was a terrific read and one which worked equally well as a character study of a young man affected by his wartime experiences or as an introduction to the series.  You can read my full review here.

Another historical crime series now but unfortunately not a prequel but the fifteenth book in the series.  The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear is the latest outing for  the much-loved character, private investigator Maisie Dobbs.  Set in London during the worst of the blitz in World War 2, it combines a intriguing, well-constructed mystery, an engaging leading character and convincing period detail.  You can read my full review here and see why I’ve now joined the ranks of Maisie Dobbs fans.

For my next pick I’m moving from 1940s London to 1930s Malaya and The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo.  I read this atmospheric, mysterious and magical novel as part of a buddy read organised by the publishers, Quercus, and it was one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much.  You can learn nine other reasons why I loved the book here.

Finally there’s All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison which in a relatively new departure for me I listened to as an audio book.   I’d tipped it to feature on the longlist for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2019 but in the end it only made the supplementary Academy Recommends list. Set in rural 1930s England, I described it as ‘a book to lose yourself in and admire the quality of the writing and characterisation rather than expect a swiftly moving story line’.  You can read my full review here.

What were some of your favourite books you read in March?  Have you read any of my picks?