What I read in August 2024
August is usually my least favourite month of the year – it’s too hot, and it always feels like everyone’s enjoying it except me. But it wasn’t so bad this year (despite still being too hot).
As well as reading 14 books, I went to Norwich GamesCon, where I did a bit of shopping (above – couldn’t resist the “haunted by my TBR” bookmark from Bookish & Beyond’s stall!), played some games, and generally enjoyed being in the city I lived in (but didn’t really make the most of) during my undergraduate years.
Not unrelated: I finally cleared out a ton of paper notes from that time, as well as my postgraduate degrees at Essex, and I was struck by how hard I worked, and how interesting some of the material was – even if I didn’t fully appreciate that at the time, either! I’ve come further than I think.
Writing is still sluggish. I wrote two fragments of stories (one at the WriteNight special at St Osyth Priory (above)), both inspired by childhood friends – I’ve clearly run out of material from my own life! – and notes for a silly poem that will never see the light of day, inspired by someone else’s poem at Poetry at Patch, where I am strictly a spectator.
Anyway, books…
Conquest, by Nina Allan - 4*
1983, by Tom Cox - I supported this on Unbound ages ago and its release date crept up on me, otherwise I’d have mentioned it in last month’s round-up! 4.5*
Prey, by Vanda Symon - 4*
Folklorn, by Angela Mi Young Hur - 4*
The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett - 4.5*
The Women of Biafra, by Onyeka Nwelue - 4*
The Doll: short stories, by Daphne Du Maurier - very entertaining. 4.5*
Wahala, by Nikki May - 4*
The Dark Wives, by Ann Cleeves - 4.5*
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel - re-read, except I originally read it in late 2020, so I remembered nothing about it except that it was good! 5*
Microcosmos, by Nina Allan - 4.5*
Death at the Sign of the Rook, by Kate Atkinson - I did remember this was coming, but wasn’t sure if I’d get to read it in August! 5*
In the Fishbowl, We Bleed, by Jeremy C. Shipp - objectively good, just not really my sort of horror. 3*
The Sundial, by Shirley Jackson - I’ve now read all my Shirley Jackson books. Irritating photo of them below. 4.5*
Why?!
Looking ahead…
Quite light on blog tours this month, so hoping (when am I not?) to follow up on authors whose books I’ve liked, tackle my TBR, maybe even fit in a re-read.
Kate Morton is an author I’ve kept up with for quite a while, though her books are chunky, so I’d best read her latest, Homecoming, while things are relatively quiet! A new Skelfs book from Doug Johnstone is always a good time, and I’m on the blog tour for Living is a Problem.
I read Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow, a few months ago, and The Once and Future Witches sounds perfect for the start of spooky season. I really enjoyed reading my second collection (which had been sitting on my Kindle for a while…) of Daphne Du Maurier’s short stories last month, so I want to read another one this month.