Apologies for the lack of blogging this week. It would appear work and tiredness have been taking their toll. I read another 5 books in June and some of those were quite chunky so hopefully it has made a difference on the book stack.
Awkward picture time!
The stack is now 31.5 inches high and has grown 6 inches! I now only have 35.5 inches left to go so sadly I’m not half way yet.
Look at that stack grown!
I am currently reading some very big books so I hope it will make a difference to the stack height. I am determined to complete the challenge this year even if it means pulling some all nighters.
So my reading plans for June went completely out of the window. I only read one of my planned reads but I did stick to my 20 Books of Summer Challenge.
I am still sticking with my 20 Books of Summer for July but I might read some extra ones as well.
20 Books of Summer Choices
I am going on holiday this month and this will mean taking my Kindle so I plan on popping these books on my Kindle and if I plan to continue with The Witcher series I can just download the next book when needed. I’m hoping to finish The Murderbot Diaries whilst on holiday as I usually fly through these books.
Other Options
Anything extra this month will be the random things I have on my Kindle that I have never got around to reading. There are a lot of random books on my Kindle!
I hope you all have some good books planned for July.
I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I managed some reading earlier but I fell asleep then jumped in my sleep and threw my book across the room terrifying the cat and my poor husband.
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I managed to read 5 books in June which I wasn’t too happy with but I was very pleased to finish The Count of Monte Cristo as I have been reading it on and off since January!
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I tried to blog yesterday but for some reason WordPress just wouldn’t work for me and kept crashing. My reading so far this week has been very good and I feel like I might be catching up with my challenges.
What I am Currently Reading
The Cicero Trilogy is a mammoth book which I will be reading for a very long time I feel so I have also started one of my all time favourite books Silas Marner.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I couldn’t put The Taxidermist’s Daughter down and read it in no time at all. I also finally finished The Count of Monte Cristo!
What I Think I will Read Next
I am carrying on with my 20 Books of Summer Challenge so it will be one of these books next most likely.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
I decided my next read would be the biggest book on my 20 Books of Summer list and so I started this mammoth book today. I must admit I think this is going to be a slow read but I will do my best and I am really enjoying it so far.
Most of these stories focus on the small, quiet or unspoken intricacies of human relationships rather than grand dramas. The use of metaphor is delicate and subtle; often the women are strong and capable and the men less so; shallow and selfish motives are exposed.
The dates of these stories range from 1909 to 1986 and there are thirty in all. The ten stories which are already in print in Persephone editions of their work are by Katherine Mansfield, Irène Némirovsky, Mollie Panter-Downes (twice), Elizabeth Berridge, Dorothy Whipple, Frances Towers, Margaret Bonham, Diana Gardner and Diana Athill.
The ten stories which have already been published in the Quarterly and Biannually are by EM Delafield; Dorothy Parker; Dorothy Whipple; Edith Wharton; Phyllis Bentley; Dorothy Canfield Fisher; Norah Hoult; Angelica Gibbs; Penelope Mortimer; and Georgina Hammick. And lastly the ten stories which are new are by Susan Glaspell, Pauline Smith, Malachi Whitaker, Betty Miller, Helen Hull, Kay Boyle, Shirley Jackson, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Elizabeth Spencer and Penelope Fitzgerald.
Review
To celebrate Persephone Books’ one hundredth book, the publisher decided to issue this book of short stories all written by women. Some of the authors are more well-known than others but they all deserve to be in this book and also deserve to be more widely read.
I loved the variety of stories within this book and I had already read a couple of them from other Persephone Books publications but I didn’t mind reading them again. These stories cover first jobs, first loves, marriages, affairs (quite a few affairs), illness and death and many other themes which are either obvious or subtle.
I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down as I just loved the variety of the stories and I also really enjoyed the mixture of longer and shorter stories within the book. I also loved the phrase ‘skin food’ that was used in quite a few stories to describe facial moisturiser and I am now using the phrase myself as I think it sounds far more fun than moisturiser.
There was only one story in this book that I found hard to read which was the last story. The last story within this book I found rather harrowing and to be honest it was a big surprise after the other stories.
The thing I loved most about this book was it explores the small parts in women’s lives. The stories are about everyday people with everyday lives and problems. It explores the basic and tiny moments in different women’s lives which don’t usually get explored in books. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…
Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.
Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.
I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.
But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….
Review
This has been sat on one of my TBR trolleys (I have many) for a very long time. In fact I remember buying it on an Amazon deal during one of the many lockdowns but I never seemed to get around to reading it. Thankfully, along came the amazing 20 Books of Summer Challenge and this was the first book I read off my list.
The first thing I will say is that once I started this book I could not put it down. I just loved Tyce’s writing and for a debut novel I was pleasantly surprised by how excellently written this book was. However, there was main problem for me and that was that I hated the main character! I just could not get on with the character of Alison and yes I know she was written that way but gosh she drove me mad! Thankfully, I didn’t let this put me off and carried on reading.
Alison was not the only character I did not like. I really did not like her husband who just felt off from the start. In fact most of the characters in this book I disliked but I loved the storyline and that is what kept me reading and not giving up with this book.
As we are reading about Alison’s chaotic life we also meet Madeleine who Alison is defending. Madeleine is accused of murder and as we learn more about the case we see many parallels between Alison and Madeleine’s lives and situations.
This book made me quite uncomfortable at times but it didn’t put me off and gave me a great deal to think about. It’s also a book that I think will stay with me for a long time and that shows just what a great author Tyce is. This book was a difficult book to rate for me because I loved the way it was written and the storyline but I just could not get on with the characters so in the end I decided to give it 3 out of 5 Dragons. I am really looking forward to reading Tyne’s other books soon and hopefully they won’t sit on my TBR pile for quite so long this time.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Harriet Tyce (1972) is a Scottish barrister and novelist, the author of Blood Orange, The Lies you Told and It ends at midnight.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.
Hello!
I haven’t taken part in Top Ten Tuesday for quite a while so I thought it was high time to take part again. This weeks topic is also an excellent choice for me as I have now booked my summer holiday so I am planning what books to take with me to read.
So in no particular order here are my ten books:
These are a mix of books off my 20 Books of Summer Challenge and my Classics Club Challenge and some random extras. I have no idea if I will manage all of these but I plan on giving it a good go.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – I recently bought this whilst book shopping because I had always wanted to read it. Fingers crossed I will get around it as it will be a nice short read.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang – This was my latest purchase whilst book shopping and one that I bought because of all the good things I have seen about it on instagram.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors – This is another book I have read so many good things about.
Babel by R. F. Kuang – I really hope I like Kuang’s writing as she is a new author for me and I plan to read two of her books in the summer.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas – I have very nearly finished The Count of Monte Cristo and I am not nearly ready to finish reading books by Dumas. It will be my next nighttime read.
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski – I have the full set of these books in paperback but I might pop the first on my kindle so I can read it on holiday and if I want to continue with the series I can just download the next one on my Kindle.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati – This has been sat on my TBR for way to long so hopefully I will read it soon.
The Greek Plays – I can’t wait to get reading these.
Silas Marnerby George Eliot – This is one of my favourite books and I fancied a reread for the summer.
The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse – Again another book that has been sat on my TBR for way too long.
Fingers crossed I can read these books and many more over the summer.
If you have taken part in Top Ten Tuesday this week please drop me your link and I will head over for a visit.
Lady Book Dragon 