Balancing the Books – August 2022

janetemson

Sep 1

August is over. The month that seems to last at least three, well in this house anyway. The kids aren't quite back at school yet (shakes fist at inset days), but there's a trip to the seaside to ease the way. The end of August also sees the end of the #20BooksofSummer reading challenge. You can see how I did over here. Again I thought that not many books had arrived. Long gone are the days when at least a book a day would arrive into the house (and that's as it should be, no way can I read at 30+ books a month, no matter how much I wish it were otherwise). Of course, as always, I have a look at the list and realise that there are far more than I first thought, and that each one has a welcome place on the bookcases. I also had a very enjoyable reading month with not a dud book to be found. I even managed to read a 2023 book so I'm counting myself ahead for once instead of very, very behind on my reading.

So here's what arrived this month:

Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant, a prize from a giveaway competition.
Devoted Ladies by Molly Keane, a charity shop find and welcome addition to my Virago green spines collection.
Last Will by William McIntyre.
Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks, both sent for review by Sandstone Press.
The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou.
The Invisible by Peter Papathanasiou, both sent for review by MacLehose Press.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, sent for review by HQ.
A Jewish Girl in Paris by Melanie Levensohn, sent for review by Pan Macmillan.
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie, sent for review by Bloomsbury.
Death of Jezabel by Christianna Brand, sent for review by the British Library.
Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow, sent for review by Baskerville.
Sifkan Glaschu by Sean Wai Keung, a prize from a giveaway competition.
The Bat by Jo Nesbo.
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, both of these were sent for review by Vintage.
The Innocent One by Lisa Ballantyne, a prize from a giveaway competition.
Homesick by Jennifer Croft, sent for review by Midas PR and Charco Press.
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer, sent for review by Headline.
The Illuminated by Anindita Ghose, sent for review by Head of Zeus.
Busy Being Free by Emma Forrest, sent for review by W&N.
There's Been A Little Incident by Alice Ryan, sent for review by Head of Zeus.
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill, sent for review by Vintage.
Born in a Burial Ground by M W Craven.
To Read Aloud by Francesco Dimitri.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell.
Murder at Hawthorne Cottage by Betty Rowlands.
Murder in the Morning by Betty Rowlands, all of these were charity shop finds.
The Cloisters by Katy Hays, sent for review by Bantam.

Here's what I read:

Trust by Hernan Diaz.
The Change by Kirsten Miller.
Homesick by Jennifer Croft.
The Invisible by Peter Papathanasiou.
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie.
Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J Farmer.

I also sent one book to a fellow blogger and sent a friend away with 9 books for her summer holiday. So that's 27 in and 16 out. Not balanced but closer than I've been in a while.

I hope you've had a good month and enjoyed whatever you managed to read.

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