August came and went fairly quickly, helped by a few days off at the beginning in Paris and then a long bank holiday weekend at the end. I managed to cross a few more of my TBR too, 13 this month and I am on target to reach my Good Reads total too. I am most of the way through my 20 Books of Summer Challenge and I read five towards that in August. One five star in August, all about notebooks.
Books Read
Music for Torching – A.M. Homes – Fiction – 2 Stars
Labyrinth (Languedoc, #1) – Kate Mosse – Fiction – 3 Stars
Sepulchre (Languedoc, #2) – Kate Mosse – Fiction – 3 Stars
Five Rivers Met On A Wooded Plane – Barney Norris – Fiction – 3 Stars
The Mask of Dimitrios – Eric Ambler – Fiction – 4 Stars
How to Adult: An Illustrated Guide – Stephen Wildish – Humour – 2 Stars
The Railway Man – Eric Lomax – Memoir – 3 Stars
Be a Birder: The Joy Of Birdwatching And How To Get Started – Hamza Yassin – Natural History – 3 Stars
Blossomise – Simon Armitage & Angela Harding – Poetry – 3.5 Stars
Orbital – Samantha Harvey – Science Fiction – 2.5 Stars
Teatime at Peggy’s: A Glimpse of Anglo-India – Clare Jenkins and Stephen McClarence – Travel – 4 Stars
All Boats Are Sinking: Navigating Life, Love and Locks on a Narrowboat – Hannah Pierce – Travel – 4 Stars
Book(s) Of The Month
The Notebook: A History Of Thinking On Paper – Ronald Allen – Miscellaneous – 5 Stars
Top Genres
Fiction – 27
Travel – 23
Natural History – 11
Poetry – 8
Memoir – 7
Science Fiction – 6
Humour – 3
History – 3
Miscellaneous – 2
Food – 2
Top Publishers
Bloomsbury – 7
Vintage – 4
Picador – 4
Saraband – 3
Eland – 3
Faber & Faber – 3
Canongate – 3
Salt – 2
Penguin Classics – 2
Jonathan Cape – 2
Review Copies Received
The Volunteers: A Memoir of Conservation, Companionship and Community – Carol Donaldson
All Boats Are Sinking: Navigating Life, Love and Locks on a Narrowboat – Hannah Pierce
Vagabond: A Hiker’s Homage to Rural Spain – Mark Eveleigh
On the Narrow Road to the Deep North: Journey into a Lost Japan – Lesley Chan Downer
Library Books Checked Out
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments Into Extraordinary Results – Shane Parrish
Books Bought
1983 – Tom Cox (Signed)
Good Vibrations: Coast to Coast by Harley – Tom Cunliffe (Signed)
Rare Singles – Benjamin Myers (Signed)
Enchantment – Katherine May (Signed)
The Cruel Way – Ella Maillart
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan – Isabella L. Bird
The Yangtze Valley and Beyond – Isabella L. Bird
The Border – Erika Fatland
The Art of Discworld – Paul Kidby
Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather: The Illustrated Screenplay – Vadim Jean & Terry Pratchett
A Green and Pleasant Land: How England’s Gardeners Fought the Second World War – Ursula Buchan
Nature Obscura: A City’s Hidden Natural World – Kelly Brenner
Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog: Sniffing Out the Perfect Plot in Provence – Jamie Ivey
Turn Right at Istanbul: A Walk on the Gallipoli Peninsula – Tony Wright
Recipes from an Old Farmhouse – Alison Uttley
A House Somewhere: Tales of Life Abroad – Don George & Anthony Sattin (Ed)
The Secret Country: More Mysterious Britain – Janet & Colin Bord
The Stone Tide: Adventures At The End Of The World – Gareth E. Rees
West with the Light: My Life in Nature – Brian Jackman
On The Shores Of the Mediterranean – Eric Newby
The Wind In My Wheels – Josie Dew (Signed)
Venice – James Morris
The Broken Book – Fiona Farrell
The Illustrated Woman – Helen Mort
Forecast” A Diary Of The Lost Seasons – Joe Shute
Arabia: A Journey through the Heart of the Middle East – Levison Wood (Signed)
A Box Full of Spirits: Adventures of a film-maker in Africa – Leslie Woodhead
Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back – An Illustrated Guide – Isabella Tree & Angela Harding
Why We Travel: A Journey Into Human Motivation – Ash Bhardwaj
Gods, Ghosts, & Ancestors: Folk Religion in A Taiwanese Village – David K. Jordan
Philip K. Dick: In His Own Words – Philip K. Dick & Gregg Rickman
So are there any from that list that you have read, or now seeing them, now want to read? Let me know in the comments below.
I’m sad you didn’t like Orbital more—I thought it was a stunner, and would love to see it on the Booker shortlist. Pleased to see someone else reading Eric Ambler! I started reading him last summer and have loved every single title so far; The Mask of Dimitrios was good but my favourites have been The Night-Comers and Passage of Arms. And it’s nice to see someone reading Barney Norris, too, who burst onto my radar in 2017 and seems not to have published much of late. Five Rivers… probably reads a bit sub-Jon McGregor now, but I recall enjoying it very much when it was published.
Always end up adding a ton of books onto my Goodreads!
Glad to hear it!
I’ve added The Notebook to my wishlist! I loved Rare Singles – have you read it yet? I had it from NetGalley. I am behind on my blog reading so alternating days of new and old till I’ve caught up as I feel disconnected from everyone! I did do my 20 Books but at the expense of blog reading and NetGalley so catching up with NG books, too!
It was excellent. I hope you like it too. I haven’t as yet, still trying to get though my 20 books of summer. Four more left…