Monthly Wrap up time again! Bye, bye July!

Every month I seem to be starting these posts with ‘It’s been a cracking reading month’… Well guess what? Welcome to Groundhog Day! So much good stuff this month!

I have discovered new authors, revisited old favourites, flirted with and got a weeny bit annoyed with the Booker Prize long list, made progress with and shamelessly cheated on my #20BooksOfSummer list and just generally read fabulous books. So without further ado, here goes July’s wrap up!

And let’s begin with the Booker Prize shall we? And let’s get the gripe out of the way first. Now, rarely do I gripe on the blog, in fact as many of you know, I received an unsolicited DM on Twitter this month complaining that I never write negative reviews. But today I am making a weeny exception to the rule. Because as exciting as the Booker long list looks, it is, in my humble opinion, and it seems quite a lot of Bookish Twitter agree, flawed. Put simply, WHERE IS HAMNET????? Maggie O’Farrell’s masterpiece deserves it’s place on this list, it is nothing short of stunning. Madness rules in my opinion!!! And if that is your opinion too, do me a favour and nominate this work of genius for The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, but be quick nominations close just before midnight tonight, 1st August 2020.

That moan out the way the long list does contain some fabulous stuff. In terms of The Booker Prize and my own reading, I have neatly ended this month with Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age, which I enjoyed and been wholly transported to Glasgow of the 1980’s by the beautiful and heartbreaking Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. Since finishing this book I haven’t stopped tweeting and talking about it. It is incredible, and if you missed my review you can find it here.

I started this month with reading a couple of cracking books for blog tours. I was thrilled to be asked to read and review Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. She is such a versatile author and with the US elections fast approaching, (grab some popcorn ladies and gents!) this felt like a timely read.

I followed that up with thought provoking Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Sharp, insightful and full to the brim with ideas, I can certainly see why this one made the Women’s Prize Long list. It would, I think, make a wonderful book club book.

Talking of book club reads they have accounted for two of my titles his month. Firstly My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, which I know has a special place in lots of hearts, but unfortunately failed to hit the spot for me. And secondly The Carer by Deborah Moggach; thats for next month’s meeting so can’t give anything away about that one yet!

This month I have read a real balance of familiar and brand new authors; just the way I like it! On the new entrances list we have the brilliant and quite hilarious debut from Matson Taylor, The Misadventures of Evie Epworth, which you haven’t read, you need to!! Another new-to-me author is Heidi James. Having just finished and reviewed her upcoming novel The Sound Mirror I am off to read everything else she has ever written!! Review coming next week, keep your eyes peeled, but BlueMooseBooks have knocked it out the park once again!!

Continuing the theme of ‘new’ authors leads me to a confession. I had never before read any Jenny Eclair. I know! I have been to her live show, listened to her podcasts etc but not read one of her books. Well now I have and it’s a cracker. You can find my review of Older and Wider on Instagram.

And my final new discovery is a flipping gem. In preparation for next months blog tour slot I read Below The Big Blue Sky by Anna McPartlin. And before I did I embarked upon it’s prequel The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes. These are two books that depict a family coming to terms with a daughter’s terminal cancer diagnosis and examines how we cope when someone far too young is taken from us. They are written with passion, heart and so much great Irish humour. My review is out next month, but these are special books.

Back in the camp of old favourites I was thrilled when I received a gifted copy of Emma Donoghue’s new novel The Pull of the Stars. Dealing with the 1918 Flu epidemic, set on a Dublin maternity war, this one is timely and stunning. It has crept on to my books of the year list without a doubt.

For the next new discovery from an old favourite I have Amanda at Bookish Chat to thank. The northern streets of Pat Barker’s Blow Your House Down have made a diverting and dark interlude. Loved it!

And finally we come to Summerwater, the latest masterpiece from Sarah Moss. And it is a masterpiece, so much so I had to read it twice before I could compose my review. Both the novel and my review are out next month and the former is not to be missed, as for the review, I hope I have managed to convey something of the awe I felt for this novel.

I can’t sign off without an update on my #20BooksOfSummer challenge. 8 out of 20 read! As predicted I am woefully distracted and fickle, but I am trying!

Hope you all had great reading months and let’s catch up at the end of August!!

Rachel x