The pile

Books Incoming: Mid-July edition

I think this might be a first. Hold on to your hats, something amazing has happened. No not quite that amazing, but it’s pretty good:

Only two books bought – and I read both of them on holiday so they have not added to the pile! I think this is a complete first. You can read my book of the week review of The Formula here. And the other of course is the third in Reverend Richard Coles’s Canon Clement series, which I included in my murder mysteries with vicars post.

Have an amazing Saturday everyone!

books

Series I Love redux: Aunty Lee

The second in Ovidia Yu’s Aunty Lee series, Aunty Lee’s Deadly Specials, is 99p on Kindle at the moment – I don’t know how long this deal is going to last, but this was a Book of the Week when I read it and so this seemed like a good time to remind you of Ovidia Yu’s excellent Singapore-set cozy mystery series. Aunty Lee is an older lady detective – something that I’ve always loved in murder mysteries – but this time she’s also well connected and relatively wealthy widow and restaurant owner. The food always sounds amazing in this, and the mysteries are fun. If you liked the society vibe in Crazy Rich Asians, this will give you something similar (slightly less affluent but still similar) in the cozy crime world. Do go and read my original series post as well and don’t forget Yu’s other Singapore-set mystery series – the historical Crown Colony series.

Have a great weekend!

books, books on offer, Recommendsday

Recommendsday: July Kindle Offers

I’m back with the most expensive post of the month – as it’s a rare month when I manage to write this without buying books myself. But I’ll give it a go – hang around until the end and I’ll let you know how I get on!

As usual, lets start with the former books of the week that are on offer. At 99p there’s Emily Henry’s Happy Place, which is last year’s release and thus just out in paperback. Also on offer because the author has a new book out is Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis – and at this point Hazelwood seems to have a book at 99p every month, so you just have to wait long enough for the one you want to come around. I’m still waiting to get my hands on the new Christina Lauren, but The Unhoneymooners is on offer at the moment – this is an enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance– where food poisoning in the bridal party sees the bride’s twin sister go on the honeymoon with the best man – who happens to be her nemesis.

A much more recent release is How To End a Love Story – and I stand by my reservations about one aspect of this one, but it is a pretty good summer read. And The Lifeline, Libby Page’s sequel to The Lido which I read on our holiday in April is also 99p. And Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, the last book in the Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake is 99p as well.

I’m really trying not to be annoyed about this considering I went out and bought the hardback on release day, but the final Maisie Dobbs The Comfort of Ghosts is down to £2.99 at the moment. This was my favourite book I read last month and is a lovely ending to the series, but as usual you’ll probably want to have read the others to get the most out of it.

On the non-fiction from Tara Westover’s Educated is 99p – it’s a few years now since I read this one, but it has really stuck with me because Tara’s childhood is so awful and she has overcome so much. Something I read much more recently is Nick de Semleyn‘s The Last Action Heroes about the stars of the blockbuster action movies of the 80s and 90s -if you liked the Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary on Netflix, then you’ll be interested in this. And if you want some history, Lucy Worsley’s Jane Austen at Home is 99p too.

I still haven’t watched the new series of Bridgerton, but the book that inspired it Romancing Mr Bridgerton is on offer this month – all the usual caveats about the differences between the twenty-plus year old source material and the adaptation.

This month’s Terry Pratchett is The Fifth Elephant, which is £1.99 and is in the fifth book in the City Watch sub-series of the Discworld books. The Science of Discworld III is also 99p at the moment too. The Georgette Heyer is one of my favourites – Sylvester – and not quite as cheap, but Have His Carcase aka Peter and Harriet 2 is the Peter Wimsey.

Happy Wednesday!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: July 1 – July 7

Well that was quite a week. I’m still not sure if I’m coming g or going. And my brain has been pretty fried so I think that explains the descent into binge-reading of Patti Benning mini-mysteries. I wish I could say what I’m going to do tomorrow, but I don’t know yet and I’m hoping inspiration will come to me at some point.

Read:

Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal*

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

Jackie by Dawn Tripp*

Curried Lobster Murder by Patti Benning

Creamy Casserole Murder by Patti Benning

Grilled Rye Murder by Patti Benning

A Quiche to Die for by Patti Benning

A Side of Murder by Patti Benning

Started:

The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch by Kimberley Potts

Seven Lively Suspects by Katy Watson*

Still reading:

The Unforgettable Loretta, Darling by Katherine Blake*

No books bought!

Bonus picture: Tuesday night watching John Lloyd Young sing.

*next to a book book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

announcement

Mega Sport Weekend

I promise normal service will return soon, but my brain is still recovering from Thursday night, my sleep is out of whack. England needed penalties to get through to the semi finals of EURO 2024 last night and it’s the British Grand Prix just down the road from me today. And that’s not even mentioning the MotoGP, the Tour de France and Wimbledon. Plus the fact that I have to run around the park today because I’m doing the Race for Life next weekend. Back tomorrow…

books, stats

June Stats

Books read this month: 36*

New books: 31

Re-reads: 5 (all audiobooks)

Books from the to-read pile: 12

NetGalley books read: 3

Kindle Unlimited read: 12

Ebooks: 4

Audiobooks: 5

Non-fiction books: 3

Favourite book this month: The Comfort of Ghosts

Most read author: Patti Benning

Books bought: Three book-books, four ebooks and two pre-orders

Books read in 2024: 208

Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 736

A pretty solid month of reading all in all. Not as much from the NetGalley list as I should have done, but more from the to-read pile than some months so swings and roundabouts.

Bonus picture: Regents Park on a summer evening. Lovely stuff.

*includes some short stories/novellas/comics/graphic novels – including 2 this month!