July came and went fairly quickly. We were on holiday and then my daughter had major foot surgery, so we have had a bit of a stressful time! It is my birthday back then, and got given a book token! Though I won’t be spending this anytime soon (see at the bottom of this post). Anyway, this is what I read in July:
Books Read
On The Roof: A Thatcher’s Journey – Tom Allan – 3.5 Stars
Borderland: A Journey Through The History Of Ukraine – Anna Reid – 3.5 Stars
Words From The Hedge: A Hedgelayer’s View Of The Countryside – Richard Negus – 4 Stars
Hedgelands: A Wild Wander Around Britain’s Greatest Habitat – Christopher Hart – 4 Stars
Letters to Camondo – Edmund de Waal – 4 Stars
Tickbox – David Boyle – 3 Stars
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right – Atul Gawande – 3 Stars
After Beethoven – Alison Brackenbury – 3 Stars
Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation – Ken Liu – 3.5 Stars
The Wall – John Lanchester – 4 Stars
The Warehouse – Rob Hart – 4 Stars
Ten Birds That Changed The World – Stephen Moss – 3.5 Stars
Book(s) Of The Month
Of Thorn & Briar: A Year With The West Country Hedgelayer – Paul Lamb – 4.5 Stars
How to Lose a Country: The Seven Warning Signs of Rising Populism – Ece Temelkuran – 4.5 Stars
Top Genres
Faber & Faber
Canongate
Picador
Simon & Schuster
Eland
Top Publishers
Travel
Fiction
Natural History
Poetry
Social History
Review Copies Received
Small Earthquakes: A Journey Through Lost British History In South America – Shafik Meghji
Everything Will Swallow You – Tom Cox
Library Books Checked Out
Forgotten Churches: Exploring England’s Hidden Treasures – Luke Sherlock
Nature Needs You: The Fight To Save Our Swifts – Hannah Bourne-Taylor
On The Roof: A Thatcher’s Journey – Tom Allen
Trees In Winter – Richard Shimell
Under A Metal Sky: A Journey Through Minerals, Greed and Wonder – Philip Marsden
Our Oaken Bones: Reviving A Family, A Farm And Britain’s Ancient Rainforests – Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
Books Bought (Or Sent by Friends)
As I have said elsewhere, I am trying to buy fewer books. So I will give totals of l the number of books that enter my house and those that leave permanently. These are the figures for June:
July Books in: 21
July Books out: 23 (The books leaving the house were sold, returned to the library or passed on to friends or charity. I am aiming for this number to be higher than the one above!!!). I kept these below:
Yemen: Travels in Dictionary Land – Tim Mackintosh-Smith
Plot 29: A Love Affair With Land – Allan Jenkins
Sunrise on the Southbound Sleeper: More Great Railway Journeys from the Daily Telegraph – Michael Kerr
Don’t Mention the War! : A Shameful European Adventure – Stewart Ferris & Paul Bassett
I Came, I Saw: An Autobiography – Norman Lewis
We are aiming to move at some point, and I have several books to clear to get it down to a manageable level. Sarah wants me to have books on bookcases, not in piles all over the place, so I will be getting rid of lots. I have about 20 Persephone’s that I have decided that I am never going to read, so if you’re interested, then they are available for £10 inc postage
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 too am trying to have more books exiting the house than entering! I should keep records, but think I’m achieving it at the moment.
Going to see Tom Cox at Blackwell’s, Oxford on Sep 3. I wonder whether John Mitchinson will dare show his face – he goes to a lot of the events there!
I have cleared 100 so far this month, with another few boxes to go.
I might try and see him at Folde. Let me know if you see John Mitchinson!
Good outgoings more than incomings! I’m one incoming over at the moment but plenty of time for an Oxfam trip!
Over 100 out so far this month!