July has been and gone and left us with that most dreaded of occasions. I am of course referring to the school holidays. Cue 6 weeks of “what can I have to eat?” without respite. It also tends to mean less time to read. Whilst usually the summer holidays bring us a glimpse of the sun, it seems this year it’s more likely to bring thunder and lightning and with it seeking shelter from the rain in a book or three.
As always here I was thinking I’d not got many books this month and then surprised again, at the total.
- The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, sent for review by Viking.
- Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, a prize.
- Ghosts by Dolly Alderon, sent for review by Penguin.
- In a Good Light by Clare Chambers.
- Learning to Swim by Clare Chambers, sent for review with the book above by Arrow.
- Sisterhood by V B Grey.
- The Fair Botanist by Sara Sheridan.
- Always in December by Emily Stone, the last three sent for review by Team Bookends.
- The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer.
- The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer.
- The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer.
- False Colours by Georgette Heyer.
- Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer.
- The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer.
- Sylvester by Georgette Heyer.
- The Foundling by Georgette Heyer. All of the Heyer’s were sent for review by Arrow.
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Wu, sent for review by Wildfire (and my first 2022 book!).
- A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery, sent for review by Gallic.
- The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett, sent for review by the British Library.
- The Last Library by Freya Sampson, sent for review by Zaffre.
- The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett, a book purchase.
- Sad Janet by Lucie Britsch, sent for review by W&N.
- Lord Seeks Wife by Heather Barnett, sent for review by the author.
- Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnett, sent for review by Saraband.
- Those Hamilton Sisters by Averil Kenny.
- End of Summer by Anders de la Motte.
- The Whistleblower by Robert Peston.
- Three Sisters by Heather Morris.
- The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason. The last five were sent for review by Zaffre.
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, sent for review by Bloomsbury.
- The Origins of Iris by Beth Lewis, sent for review by Hodder Studio.
- Nobody’s Perfect by Stephanie Butland, sent for review by Zaffre.
Here’s what arrived at Chez Emson:
As for outgoings here’s what I read:
- Annie Stanley all at Sea by Sue Teddern.
- Guilty Creatures, edited by Martin Edwards.
- The Appeal by Janice Hallett.
- Ghosts by Dolly Alderton.
- The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer.
- The Last Library by Freya Sampson.
- A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery.
So that’s 32 in and 7 out. Even if I stood on tip toe with one eye shut I couldn’t get this to balance on the book scales. So I’ll breathe out and embrace the overweighted incoming for July and look forward to what August has instore.