Balancing the Books – January 2023

janetemson

Feb 2

So that's January gone. For some it's the longest month of the year, for others the sign of a new start, new beginnings, a clean break. For me it saw a break of a different kind as I managed to fracture my shoulder. The day before I was supposed to be going to London to some very exciting publisher events. Of course. So instead I stayed at home and mastered the art of reading one-handed. I may not have managed to attend the 4th Estate and Orion events I had been looking forward to but it did mean there were not as many incoming books as there might have been, so the reinforcing of the book cases can wait another month. Possibly.

Here's what arrived this month:

All About Evie by Matson Taylor, a gift from Matson.
Twelve Moons by Caro Giles, sent for review by Harper North.
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd, the third book in my LoveMyRead subscription.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, a charity shop find.
The Impulse Purchase by Veronica Henry, a #RespectRomFic prize from Sara-Jade Virtue on Twitter.
So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon, sent for review by Hutchinson Heinemann.
The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, sent for review by Mantle.
A House for Alice by Diana Evans, sent for review by Chatto & Windus.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, sent for a readalong by Tandem Collective.
The Lost Girls by Kate Hamer, sent for review by Faber.
The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce, sent for review by Bantam.
No Life for a Lady by Hannah Dolby, sent for review by Aria.
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson, sent for review by Hutchinson Heinemann.
A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis, sent for review by Hodder & Stoughton.
Emily Noble's Disgrace by Mary Paulson-Ellis.
Wayward by Dana Spiotta.
I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons. All of these were picked up from my local Waterstones in the sale.
French Braid by Anne Tyler, given to me by a Twitter friend, Sarah.
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent, sent for review by Penguin Sandycove.
The Angel of Santa Sofia by Josep M Argemi, translated by Tiago Miller.
Pharmakon by Almudena Sanchez, translated by Katie Whittemore. Both of these were sent for review by Fum D'Estampa.
Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson.
Death of an Author by E C R Lorac. These two were sent for review by the British Library.
Red Dirt Road by S R White, sent for review by Headline.

Here's what I read:

Dead Man's Creek by Chris Hammer.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman.
In the Blink of An Eye by Jo Callahan.
So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon.
Exiles by Jane Harper.

I also gave four books away. So that's 24 in and 9 out. Not balanced but then neither is my arm co-ordination at the moment. I hope you enjoyed whatever you read in January.

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