This lovely book is out this week – it really is one to savour and return to repeatedly!
I love books and I love books about books! This one is partially a series of book recommendations, part autobiography of Rentzenbrink’s life around books and part meditation on the function of books in our lives.
Rentzenbrink intersperses elements of her own life story with discussion of the books that helped her to get through or make sense of it all. Some of that life story is sad, especially the event of her brother’s death which became the focus of her own book. However, it’s also uplifting as she finds meaning and support and inspiration from the pages of the books she reads which, ultimately, sees her rising through the ranks at Waterstone’s and into a writing career.
The books she discusses are varied and interesting, from the childhood comfort of an Enid Blyton book to the Julian Barnes books that inspired her to take a new path in life.
Overall, if you love reading then there is much to enjoy here. Reminders of books that you have read and enjoyed. An interesting autobiography. Recommendations on books by genre. Lots of bits that will make you nod in recognition. The sense that you have found one of your book tribe! Personally, I found this a comforting and engaging read that made me reflect on the books in my own life.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
If you’d like your own copy of this, please use the link below – it is an affiliate link so I may receive commission at no extra cost to you.
Header photo with thanks to Aung Soe Min for sharing their work on Unsplash.
It’s been another busy month on the blog…soon to be scuppered by my return to work in September.
Once I’m back teaching full time, there’s no way I’ll be reading as much!
Still, for now, let’s look at what I read last month and what I’d like to read in September.
I read 14 books this month and am now on 80/100 on my Goodreads challenge.
AUGUST’S READS
‘The Child Who Never Was’ by Jane Renshaw
This twisty psychological thriller about a missing child and mental health was the focus of my first ever blog tour for Damp Pebbles Tours. You can read my review here.
‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar
Gifted to me by Bitter Lemon Press, this is an excellent historical crime novel set in 1950s Finland. The bleak and remote conditions of Lapland make an eerie setting and Inspector Hella Mauzer is one to watch! You can read my review here.
‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins
A fabulous historical novel with a similar feel to Collins’ first novel, ‘The Binding’. Far too intricate to do justice here, I’ll be reviewing this on the blog closer to the publication date in November.
‘Their Silent Graves’ by Carla Kovach
The latest installment of the excellent police procedural series featuring DI Gina Harte. This one is all-out scary as a serial killer starts to bury the inhabitants of Cleevesford alive at Halloween! This is to be published on 17th September so my review will be on the blog then.
‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton
This is for a blog tour in early September for Random Things Tours, so watch this space for my review of this funny, poignant, bizarre and truly wonderful novel.
‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Claire Whitfield
This is a brilliant take on the Jack the Ripper story set on the streets of Victorian London. Refreshingly focused on the plight of the women and with a strong heroine, this is one to watch for. Due for publication on October 1st so review will follow closer to that time.
‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward
A gorgeous, gothic tale of séances and spookiness! The dual narrative flits between 1896 and 1925 with a story about a crumbling family estate and the pregnant female photographer who has been commissioned to work there. You can read my review here.
‘The Watcher’ by Kate Medina
Another blog tour read (for Random Things Tours) so watch this space for my review of this tense and terrifying crime novel!
‘The Great Godden’ by Meg Rosoff
A lovely coming-of-age novel in which the narrator grapples with an obsession with the glorious Kit Godden over a long, hot beach summer.
‘Shakespearean’ by Robert McCrum
One of the many books to be released on 3rd September, this one is a lively and informative jaunt through Shakespeare’s plays and the legacy of the man himself. Packed with historical context and literary criticism, this book also details the way that McCrum turned to Shakespeare in the aftermath of his stroke. Review to follow on the blog this week.
‘State of the Union’ by Nick Hornby
This was (I think) the only Nick Hornby book I haven’t read so thought I had better complete the set! It follows ten conversations between a couple who meet in the pub before their weekly marriage guidance sessions in which they are working through some big issues. As with all Hornby’s writing, it is relateable and witty.
‘A Girl Made of Air’ by Nydia Hetherington
Another one of the huge number of books due for release on 3rd September, this one is about a circus performer on a quest for a missing child in post-war England and America. It is an immersive and engaging read and my review of it will be on the blog next week.
‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Givens
I’m always up for a feminist tome and this one is fabulously illustrated. As someone of the *ahem* slightly older generation of feminists, there wasn’t much new here for me, but this would make excellent reading for all young women.
‘A Chip Shop in Poznan: My Unlikely Year in Poland’by Ben Aitken
Ahead of the publication of Aitken’s new book ‘The Gran Tour’ next week (review to follow), I thought I’d read this one which was given to me as a birthday present. It’s an interesting and engaging insight into Poland and its people as Aitken spent a year in the country.
SEPTEMBER’S TBR PILE
I find it really hard to commit to a selection of books as I’m very much a mood reader. However, these look amazing and I really want to get through them (if my workload permits!)
‘Unto This Last’ by Rebecca Lipkin
This MASSIVE novel about John Ruskin is for a blog tour so I’ll definitely be reading this one soon. It sounds perfect for me – a Victorian setting, Pre-Raphaelite art and the promise of an insight into this intriguing figure from history.
‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton
Highly anticipated book from the writer of ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ which I loved! I have a NetGalley copy, but I’ve also pre-ordered the gorgeous hardback with sprayed edges from Forbidden Planet. That’s how confident I am that it’ll be good!
‘And Now for the Good News’ by Ruby Wax
I chose this because we all need good news right now! Although it was written before the pandemic, Wax offers us a cheerful view of the world and the progress humanity has made.
‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes
Carried over from last month’s TBR but still there! I love a myth retelling so am excited to read this.
‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans
Thanks to Erwan Hesry for sharing their work on Unsplash.
This looks to be fascinating – an account of a selection of the women travelling by ocean liner during the interwar years. I love history and even more so when it focuses on women’s lives so I am looking forward to reading this.
‘The Sanatorium’ by Sarah Pearse
This one isn’t due out until 2021 but it has rocketed up my TBR pile because it looks brilliant! A thrilling mystery set in a remote hotel (ex-sanatorium) high in the Swiss Alps…what’s not to like?
With thanks to NetGalley, Random Things Tours, Damp Pebbles Tours, Bitter Lemon Press and my friends and family for keeping me in books! As always, opinions are entirely my own.
Header photo with thanks to Nong Vang for sharing their work on Unsplash.
The school summer holidays could not have come sooner. Finally, I’ve had the chance to tackle some of those books that have been sitting on my NetGalley list for too long, as well as some new books and recommendations from my fellow bloggers.
I’ve read 12 books read this month – a good month for me and taking me to 66/100 books read on my Goodreads challenge (you can find me on Goodreads here).
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My five-star read of the month is ‘Death in the East’ by Abir Mukerjee – in case you missed it on the blog, my review is here. This led me on to the rest of the series, starting with ‘A Rising Man’ which introduces Captain Sam Wyndham of the Calcutta Police and Sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee. A brilliant series and highly recommended to anyone who loves crime fiction with a vibrant historical setting.
In a similar vein is another of my July reads, ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan. You can read my review here – it is the start (I hope) of a great series set in Bombay in 1950 and taking in the new political landscape of Indian independence from British rule. It features a brilliant lead character, Detective Persis Wadia, who is trying to forge her path as India’s first female police detective.
This month has also been a good one for contemporary crime fiction and I’ve absolutely devoured ‘The Postscript Murders’ by Elly Griffiths, a lively mystery with an unlikely cast of detectives investigating the death of a ‘Murder Consultant’ used by crime writers. This is the second book featuring DI Harbinder Kaur but works well as a stand-alone novel – review to follow on the blog.
I also enjoyed the highly-anticipated debut novel by Richard Osman due out in September, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. Set in a retirement village, this is a quirky and humorous crime story with plenty of twists – review to follow.
Some other strong contemporary crime fiction novels I’ve enjoyed this month are ‘Lost Cause’ by Rachel Lynch, the latest in the excellent DI Kelly Porter series set in the Lake District, and ‘The Chalet’ by Catherine Cooper, a tense and twisty thriller set in a ski resort and moving deftly between 1998 and the present day.
‘Nothing Can Hurt You’ by Nicola Maye Goldberg was another one of my fiction reads this month; this one is more an interesting exploration of the impact of a murder on a community and is very powerful on the subject of gendered violence. It is dark and really quite unusual, presenting a range of voices of those connected with a 1997 murder.
My new Kindle Oasis
My last fiction choice this month was inspired by a fellow blogger – thank you, Amy at littlelionbooks.co.uk. ‘The Revolt’ by Clara Dupont-Monod (translated from the French by Ruth Diver) is another novel featuring a disparate range of voices in monologue, principally Eleanor of Aquitaine and her son, Richard I of England. This was a historical period I knew little about, but was fascinated by this woman who was Queen Consort to both the kings of France and then England, led a revolt against her own husband and bore future kings as well as having considerable political power in her own right. This book is beautifully written – review to follow.
In terms of non-fiction, I read ‘Three Women’ by Lisa Taddeo, ‘Older and Wider’ by Jenny Eclair and ‘The Gran Tour: Travels with My Elders’by Ben Aitken. You can read my review of Eclair’s funny and wise book about the menopause here. Aitken’s book was also humorous and highly recommended; it’s a Bill Brysonesque travelogue about coach trips that Aitken took and his experiences of these interactions with (primarily) older people on these. The Taddeo book was the book of the month in my Books that Matter subscription box and was an interesting but challenging read about the real life relationships and sexuality of three American women.
Looking forward to August, I’m very much looking forward to using my new Kindle Oasis. I finally upgraded my old Kindle and will share my thoughts when I get used to it a bit more!
Here’s what I’m planning to read:
Evil Things by Katja Ivar
‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar (gifted by Bitter Lemon Press – you can see their amazing catalogue here). This is a historical crime novel set in 1950s Helsinki and looks brilliant!
‘The Child Who Never Was’ by Jane Renshaw – I’m joining the blog tour on this one (organised by damppebbles.com) and am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on this tense psychological thriller.
The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw book cover
‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins – her last novel, ‘The Binding’, was one of my favourite books last year so I’m very much looking forward to what comes next!
‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Clare Whitfield – a Victorian setting and Jack the Ripper links so this one could not be more perfect for me.
‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes – this retelling of Greek myths focusing on the overlooked women in the stories looks like an instant classic.
‘The Honey and the Sting’ by E. C. Fremantle – this historical tale of three sisters with a deadly secret sounds absolutely engrossing.
Plus whatever else takes my fancy as the month progresses!
With thanks to NetGalley for ARCs – they supplied a lot of the books but all opinions are very much my own!
