July Wrap Up

It’s time for my July wrap up – slightly later than usual but better late than never, right? August is here already and although I may not be sitting poolside and ploughing through books at a rate of knots, the sun is shining and that’s good enough for me.

Books I read

I got through 5 books, and it was a good mix of genres. I felt like I wanted to get through some of them faster but couldn’t squeeze it all in, there aren’t enough hours in the day sometimes! It’s so easy to want to read more but as we are oft-told, (stack) size doesn’t matter my friends…

Anyway, here’s a quick overview of the books I read this month:

Cassandra At The Wedding by Dorothy Baker

Cassandra is travelling home because her twin sister Judith is getting married, and she’s determined to stop the wedding from going ahead. Cassandra is miserable and over the weekend her mental health slowly takes a turn for the worse. This book was a total impulse buy (chosen for the cover, exactly the opposite of what we’re told to do) and I really enjoyed it. The writing is observant, smart and tender, and captures the messiness of familial relationships perfectly.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage tells the story of Roy and Celestial, a newlywed couple, whose lives are turned upside down after Roy is wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to twelve years in prison. Full of real, flawed and compelling characters, this book is worth the hype. You can read my full review here.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

I bought this in a deal in The Works (3 for £5!), so although it isn’t something I’d usually pick up I thought I’d give it a go. It’s about a woman called Laura who inherits not just a stonker of a house from her late boss, but a vast collection of lost items that he’s collected over the years. Now she must find a way to return these things to their rightful owners. Probably a bit too gentle a read for me, but if you’re after something feel-good then it could be a good choice.

White Girls by Hilton Als

I’d not heard of this book before I bought it, I was simply drawn to the description and the fact that I love essay collections. Hilton Als is known for his writing for The New Yorker and this anthology is searingly clever. It analyses literature, art and cinema whilst exploring gender, race and sexuality. It is the sort of book that makes me realise how little I know about the world (in terms of cultural references etc. and you know, generally), and I think I need to do a whole load of back reading, then return to it and read it again!

How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes

This is my most recent review – another essay collection, this one looks at the quandaries of modern life and how we, in particular women, are trying to navigate it. I loved this book and found out so many interesting factoids that I will be quoting to people all the time now.

Next On The List to Read

This will invariably change – I’ve realised that I am definitely a mood reader, I’m not one for sticking to plan – at the moment I’m looking forward to reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, On Beauty by Zadie Smith and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

That brings me to the end of my July wrap up. What was your favourite book you read in July? And what are you most looking forward to reading in August? I’d love to know!

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2 Comments

Stephen Writes says:
Posted on 8 August 2020 at 17:25


Interesting list of books, Megan! Your August TBR looks exciting – I loved The Song of Achilles and can’t wait to find out your thoughts. Hope you’re having a great August 😊

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1. Megan says:
  Posted on 9 August 2020 at 09:20
  
  
  Thanks Stephen! I don’t know how it passed me by when it came out… can’t wait to read it. Hope you are too!
  
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