Tag: mymonthinbooks

My 5 Favourite…June Reads

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My5FavouriteJuneReads

Yes, I know we’re a week into July already but I seem to be permanently in catch-up mode at the moment!  Anyway, here goes… 

Of the 14 books I read in June, these are my five favourite. Click on the book title to read my review.

GoldenHill2Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

June was dominated by reading the books shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and this was one of them. Although I felt slightly let down by the end, it was a highly enjoyable romp with a great cast of characters, some wonderful set pieces, lots of sly humour and a convincing period setting.

BrokenBranchesBroken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee

The first offering from new publishers, Hideaway Fall, the author creates an unsettling atmosphere with a distinctly gothic feel as he explores the impact of guilt, secrets and tragedy on one family.

WolvesintheDarkWolves in the Dark by Gunnar Staalesen

Orenda Books can be relied on to come up with some cracking crime stories and this was no exception. The book is full of twists and turns and interrelated stories creating a complex web for its protagonist, Varg Veum, to untangle.  I was lucky enough to win the previous two books in the series in a giveaway.

ACountryRoadATreeA Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker

Another of the novels shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, but probably the least known, the book follows the experiences of an unnamed protagonist (but clearly identifiable as Samuel Beckett) during WW2. Not only is the story beautifully told and compelling, it is a really clever book. It inspired me to learn more about Beckett with the result that I picked up lots of references in the book that I’d missed the first time.

DarkDawnoverSteepHouseDark Dawn over Steep House by M R C Kasasian

I’d been aware of this historical mystery series for a while but never read any of the books. Luckily for me, my friends at Head of Zeus gave me the opportunity to read this, the 5th book in the series, and I absolutely loved it.  The mixture of quirky humour, eccentric characters and compelling plot was really entertaining and I’m now looking forward to reading the previous four books.

 

What were your favourite reads last month?

My Month in Books – April 2017

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Reading list – Ten books read in April with a concentrated effort to get up-to-date with ARCs from NetGalley in order to maintain my 80% feedback ratio and meet blog tour and review request commitments.

5 out of 5 reads:

  • Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift

4 out of 5 reads:

  • The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
  • The X-Variant by Rosemary Cole
  • Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah
  • Across Great Divides by Monique Roy
  • Faithless by Kjell Ola Dahl
  • Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King

3 out of 5 reads:

  • The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet
  • Exodus ’95 by Kfir Luzzatto
  • Sanctuary by T. M. Brown

MotheringMy read of the month (not difficult to guess) was Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift. Despite being a slim book, it’s packed with luscious writing and wonderful observation of people and their motives. (Oops, I’ve still got to write my review of it yet!) To my mind, it’s definitely worthy of its place on the shortlist for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. It may even be my favourite to win – but I’ll tell you that when I’ve read the rest of the shortlisted books.

Blog news – A busy month with 35 posts consisting of book reviews, cover reveals, book blitzes, Q&As, extracts, giveaways and reading updates. I also created a new page to track my challenge to read all the shortlisted novels for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Challenges

  • Goodreads – At the end of April, I’d read 51 books out of my target of 78. So, well ahead of schedule…
  • Classics Club – On the other hand, no progress to report and (dismal failure) I even failed to read my spin book by the deadline of 1st May. However, in my defence, I did draw The Last Man by Mary Shelley which is a long book….
  • From Page to Screen – One article posted, my comparison of the book and film versions of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
  • NetGalley & Edelweiss Challenge – Going well as I’ve managed to maintain my 80% feedback ratio for another month.

So that’s my month in books – how was yours?