Tag: books

That’s A Wrap! – August 2026

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Reading update

I read 10 books in August, one more than the previous month fuelled by a determination to complete the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge. You can find out how I got on here.

I managed to finish reading all the ARCs that published in August. However I didn’t get to all those publishing in September which had been my objective. To be fair, there were ten. I’ve managed four so far so I have a busy month of reading ahead. On the bright side they include books by some of my favourite authors and lots of historical fiction.

Here are the books I read, with links to my reviews. As you can see, I have quite a few reviews still left to write.

My favourite book this month was Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson, although Farewell to Eden by Sebastian Faulks came a close second.

Blog update

I published 24 blog posts in August:

Book reviews/author features – 5
Memes – 9
Reading updates – 10

For those who like their stats, my blog received 10.9k views in August, up 26% on the previous month. All-time views now stand at 538,270. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my reviews and/or leave comments last month.

Reading goals update

  • Goodreads – 65/104, still 4 books behind schedule
  • Read 20 books that have been in my TBR for over 2 years – 3/20, same as last month
  • When Are You Reading? Challenge – 9/12, 1 more than last month
  • Historical Fiction Reading Challenge – 31/50, 5 more than last month
  • Classics Club List 2 – 4/50, same as last month
  • Read all the books on the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 longlist – 9/12, same as last month
  • NetGalley feedback ratio – 97%, same as last month
  • Audiobooks – 6/12, same as last month

Plans for September..

  • Get up-to-date with reviews
  • Read the remaining ARCs with September publication dates
  • Read the book chosen for me in the latest Classics Club spin – Creatures of Circumstance by W. Somerset Maugham
  • Identify books to fit the remaining time periods I need to complete the When Are You Reading? Challenge
  • Start reading ARCs with October publication dates
  • If I can, fit in a few books on the Booker Prize longlist

#WWWWednesday – 2nd September 2026

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Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

What I’m Currently Reading

Miss Veal and Miss Ham by Vicki Heywood (Muswell Press)

It is 1951 and behind the counter of a modest post office in a leafy Buckinghamshire village Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal maintain their careful facade as respected local spinsters. But their true story is one of passion: suffragist activists who fell in love at a rally in the 1900s, danced in London’s secret gay clubs between the wars, and comforted one another during the first night of the Blitz. Together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England.

Now over the course of one pivotal day their carefully constructed world begins to fracture. Through Beatrix’s wry perspective we witness the severe impact of post-war changes on their peaceful existence. Changes that will lead to heart-breaking decisions for Miss Veal and Miss Ham.

The Newer World by Sebastian Barry (Faber & Faber via NetGalley)

I knew as I made my way home that there was no home. All the old things . . . were gone forever.

Against the rapidly shifting landscape of post Civil War America, Tennyson Bouguereau – freed man, devoted brother, nascent singer, conflicted soldier and wanted man – journeys to find meaning and belonging. From the relative safety of home in Tennessee with his sister Rosalee, he is offered the possibility of a whole new life in Nashville, until a surprising trip to Victorian England changes everything.

What I’ve Just Read

Seething Lane by Jack Jewers (Moonflower Books)

Farewell to Eden by Sebastian Faulks (Hutchinson Heinnemann)

Philip Deval, a soldier recently returned from the beaches of Normandy, arrives in Palestine on a peace-keeping mission in the final days of the British Mandate. The Sea of Galilee glitters in the distance as war-weary troops marvel at the novelty of oranges and sun – a paradise that belies a fierce new conflict about to erupt.

Some years later, Philip begins work teaching at a school in the English countryside and meets the enigmatic music mistress, Frances Darwood. Over long evenings spent listening to records in her music room, they grow close.

But Philip is a changed man, and must confront the secrets and scars of all he has lived through – which threaten, even now, to upend his future. (Review to follow)

Cold Sunset by William Boyd (Viking)

Gabriel Dax is on route to Russia, tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to celebrated defector, Kit Caldwell. But Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery and he wants to get out – now.

When Gabriel is ordered by his enigmatic handler Faith Green to help, he is pulled into a web of shifting loyalties and dangerous escape plans. As tensions rise and trust fractures, he is forced to confront the fine line between devotion and deception. But which will he choose? (Review to follow)

What I’ll Be Reading Next

May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry (Granta)

She is a curator, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life. But in the lush private quarters of a medieval palace, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur.

He is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers. But it isn’t long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.