July has been a funny old month- it seems to have raced by in some ways, and I have now been on holiday from work for a week. However, I have only read seven and a half books during July – which is a little below my average. I have been utterly exhausted for weeks – and I still am, (living with and working with an autoimmune disease taking its toll I think). In fact, this year I am at least a month’s worth of reading behind where I was this time last year. Thankfully, the quality of what I read this month has been very high, and that is definitely more important. Anyway, I now have a few weeks recovery before I am back at work – time for some quality reading too, I hope.
I am currently away for a few days, which is why you have the rather odd pic-collage image above rather than the photo of book spines I usually do. Instead you have a couple of holiday pictures from Teignmouth – my very happy place (although it’s raining this Tuesday morning, hence me rattling away on my laptop). My reading mood has become very fickle in the last two weeks – and that is interfering with my #20booksofsummer (more of that later).
I began July reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones which recently won the Women’s Prize. An American Marriage tells the story of Roy Hamilton and his wife Celestial. He has a good job and has married into a wealthy family. Then Roy is arrested and convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. It’s an honest portrayal of American injustice an exploration of gender roles, as well as being a moving and compelling story of a family.
Marie by Madeleine Bourdouhxe is a novella a novel about love, sensuality and passion. Depicting the internal life of a married woman who despite loving her husband has a heady affair with a young man she meets at the beach. It’s a beautiful piece of writing.
Next was Murder in the Mill-Race by E.C.R Lorac – another excellent mystery from the British Library. Set in Devon Dr Raymond Ferens and his wife Anne; tired of the depressing slums, preventable disease and dirt of Northern city life, take the opportunity to swap life in a Staffordshire mill town for that of a Devonshire village on Exmoor. Here they encounter a surprising amount of malice and hatred in the small community they are living in. Soon the warden of a local children’s home is found drowned.
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje was my top read of the month, beautifully written and evocatively memorable. 1945 the war has ended, and the London landscape is changed almost beyond recognition. In Putney fifteen year old Nathanial and his sister Rachel have been abandoned by their parents and left in the family home in the care of a couple of strange guardians. Initially the bemused siblings rather assume their guardians are criminals of some sort – though in time, they worry about this far less than one might imagine.
Persephone book, Despised and Rejected by Rose Allatini is a remarkable novel, first published in 1918 it was definitely ahead of its time. Subject to a trial and a fine for the publisher it disappeared for many years. The novel’s attitudes to pacifism and homosexuality as well as its clear desire to see the continent of Europe united was contrary to popular opinion at the time. It is a bravely honest novel, that exposes the terrifying jingoism of a country obsessed with war.
Beneath the Visiting Moon by Romilly Cavan was another big hit for me from Dean Street Press, their Furrowed Middlebrow series is becoming a favourite. Likened by some to Guard your Daughters, it features an impoverished blended family and a large cast of supporting eccentric characters, romance, family and coming of age in the last summer before WW2.
The Wedding by Dorothy West – recently sent to me by the lovely Virago – it is the second novel from the author of The Living is Easy (a book I own but haven’t read). I have yet to review it – but I thought it was a wonderful book. I am very grateful to Virago for the sending me two Dorothy West books out of the blue, which inspired me to read an author I had meant to read for ages.
I am now a good way into Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen – which I will include in next month’s roundup.
August for me will be about recharging my batteries. I am going to be joining in Women in Translation Month and All Virago All August. I should be finishing #20booksofsummer – but I might be failing with that. I had read twelve books – than I decided to swap Beneath the Visiting Moon for Girl, woman, Other (which I hope to go back to but couldn’t get into) which made thirteen and now I seem to be set on a path of reading only books not on my original pile. Swapping all seven remaining books seems like a cheat – and a couple of those virago and Persephone books I might still read – I am in a mood of not knowing what I will read next until I pick it up. When I came away, I had to bring several books with me to pick from. So, apologies to Cathy, I knew I was rubbish at #20booksofsummer – I knew I shouldn’t have signed up – let’s just wait and see just how many I end up managing. My book group have picked Educated by Tara Westover for our August book – but I haven’t even bought it yet, and in fact I’m reading our September read first because I fancied it more.
So, let me know what your best books of July were – and what you have planned for August. Whatever it is – I hope you enjoy it.
Your first holiday snap looks quite exotic. Sculptures on some Pacific island somewhere, perhaps! I would never have guesssed Teignmouth.
I hope you feel rested soon, Ali. I know from experience how an autoimmune disease can leave you feeling wiped out. Take care of yourself – I’m sure you have your strategies.
Thank you. Lots of rest is the best thing. And a bit of not too hot sunshine. Woke up this morning to lots of warm sunshine.
Those are part of an art installation on the prom, every year different community groups make things out of recycled materials.
Teignmouth looks lovely. I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing break down there, plenty of quality reading time and other treats to wind down with.
As for the books, Warlight sounds excellent. I’m kind of hoping someone from my book group will pick it as a future read, maybe for the autumn. Educated is an interesting one. I’ll be very curious to see how you get on with it. (Our book group read it a few months ago, so I’ll save my thoughts for your review!)
Warlight will be a contender for my books of the year. I will have to get on to Educated soon.
A good month of reading Ali, and as you say, it’s the quality that counts! I read less books I think, but they were books of substance so I’m happy with that. I actually have vague plans for August and I’ll be posting about those tomorrow! Your break sounds wonderful – enjoy it and have a lovely relaxing time! 😁
Thank you, we have sunshine today, planning a boat trip later.
Don’t talk to me about ‘Warlight’. I have been on the reservation list for it for weeks at the local library. Then, the week before last, said library decided to change it’s system and in doing so wiped my reservation! Now I have to go back to the bottom of the list. I am going to have to blow the budget and buy it.
Oh no how annoying. I really hope you get to read it soon.
Have a well deserved break Ali! I hope you feel very much rested by the end. Quality is much more important than quantity with reading and you’ve had a great July there 🙂
Thank you. I was pleased with what I read in July, even if the numbers were not as high as other times.
Hope you have a lovely break Ali and feel rested soon. Don’t worry about swapping out your last 7 books – it looks like I’ll be doing some swapping myself!
Ha ha, OK thanks, that’s maybe what I will have to do.
I sympathise with feeling wiped out and autoimmune problems. I know I couldn’t juggle health and work these days. Almost all of your July reading has made its way onto my wish list; Warlight in particular is caling strongly. Enjoy your break, Ali, and have a good rest. (I’m swapping books in Carhy’s challenge and even then I can’t see me meeting my target. I tell myself that it’s the taking part that counts 😉 )
Oh yes, the taking part is definitely what counts, it’s always so lovely to be part of such an enthusiastic reading community.
What a lovely selection of books. As others have said, quality is more important than quantity. Looking after yourself, and enjoying whatever you chose to read is always the best plan, though its not always easy in today’s world.
I picked up Warlight and An American Marriage on my last bookshop visit.
Oh I am glad you picked up An American Marriage and Warlight, really hope you enjoy them.
Hope those batteries are recharged a little Ali. Trying to work full time while coping with your condition must be exhausting.
I tried Girl, woman, Other but couldn’t get into it either so it’s gone back to the library. I can’t see it winning the Booker somehow
Ah, interesting that you couldn’t get into Gir, Woman Other either. I am feeling a bit better, still getting up quite late and falling asleep in the afternoon though. I suppose that’s what holidays are for though.
You can’t “fail” 20 books as it’s so relaxed. I didn’t read all my books the first year and I doubt I’ll get it done this year – I am doing one swap (a fat Henry Handel Richardson for a slimmer Mary Webb I borrowed from you) and still probably won’t make it. But I have some good ones to try to get to.
I keep thinking about Girl. Woman, Other and then being put off it again!!
My July hits were Michael Benton’s “The Dinosaurs Rediscovered” and Iris Murdoch’s “The Philosopher’s Pupil”, the latter read for the umpteenth time but still marvellous.
Ooh hope you enjoy the Mary Webb. I have just finished another book from my original pile.
I can relate to your health struggles and I hope that you’re feeling somewhat stronger by the time you read this (I’m behind with reading posts and commenting). Given the circumstances, you’ve been doing a terrific job following along with your reading challenge and making substitutions as needed. Sometimes it’s easier to keep moving when you have a list and don’t have to make a decision on top of everything else!
Thank you, I am feeling better for a good rest. I love making lists, sticking to them is another matter.
Ali, in July I read four book all of a good/great quality – My favourite of which was the historical fiction The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory. I have also been travelling, but now I am home I am hoping to relax and enjoy more reading in the remainder of the holidays.
p.s. I am also not doing very well with my 10 Books of Summer!
Hope you had a good trip. Happy reading to you for the rest of the holidays.
Thank you – I had an amazing trip 😀