Verity Reads Books (lots of them)
In which our heroine attempts to tame the to-read pile
New books read this month: 26*
Books from the to-read pile: 7
Ebooks read: 16
Books from the Library book pile: 2
Non-fiction books: 4
#ReadHarder categories completed: 1
Most read author: Nick Bryan an Ta-Nehisi Coates (2 each)
Books read this year: 262
Books bought: 6 (all ebooks)
Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf: 529 (I don’t have copies of all of these!)
*Includes some short stories/novellas/comics (4 this month)
A busy week – but lots of train journeys. I read a book and a bit on the way to and the way back from meeting Sir Patrick Stewart (!) to make this video for work. Sorry not sorry!
Read:
Anna and Her Daughters by D E Stevenson
Bones to Pick by Linda Lovely
Ax to Grind by Tonya Kappes
Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis
The Midnight Peacock by Katherine Woodfine
Thrice the Brinded Cat hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley
Black Panther 1: A Nation Beneath Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates et al
BuzzBooks 2017: Romance by various authors
Started:
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
Still reading:
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides
Tricky choice for BotW this week, but I eventually plumped for Britt Bennett’s The Mothers because it was a bit out of my normal reading comfort zone, but wore it very lightly and made me think.
In aftermath of her mother’s death and in the twilight of her time at high school, Nadia Turner gets involved with the minister’s son. Luke is a couple of years older than she is, but is still adrift after the injury that ended his football career and cost him his college scholarship. It’s nothing serious, just a bit of fun, until Nadia gets pregnant. And what comes next changes the course of both their lives and sends ripples out through their church community that will last for years to come.
Firstly, I loved the setting of this book. Bennett really brings to life her fictional contemporary black church community in Southern California. Part of the story is told by the elder women in the church as a kind of Greek chorus. It adds an extra perspective in between flipping between the stories of those mostly closely involved.
It’s also full of interesting characters, even if you don’t always like them that much. Luke and Nadia and her best friend Audrey make a fascinating triangle, who have different views on life and experience the fallout in different ways.
Now, I can’t say too much more about this or I’ll give too much away, but reading through the reviews of this on goodreads, there are some very definite opinions about the author’s stance with regard to Nadia’s decision. As far as I was concerned, I thought it was handled in a very balanced, matter of fact way and in the main the fall out was portrayed as more down to the cover up and the other issues going on rather than because of the actual decision. Is that cryptic enough?! Anyway, nearly a week later I’m still thinking about the characters, which has to be a good thing.
This is Bennett’s first novel and was nominated for a whole bunch of prizes, which really didn’t surprise me because it’s clever, well-written and very readable. This is also a book that fills a couple of this year’s #ReadHarder categories: Debut Novel, book where all the POV characters are people of colour and for me, book set more than 5,000 miles away.
The hardback is out now, the paperback is coming in October. When that arrives, I think you should be able to find it in most bookshops, but possibly not in the supermarket. As always, if you can’t make it to a bookshop you could order it from a Big Green Bookshop or pick it up on Kindle or Kobo.
Happy reading.
I spent two days painting and a day out watching the touring cars. You can tell…
Read:
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Wise Children by Angela Carter
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Rivers of London: Detective Stories 4 by Ben Aaronovitch et al
True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling
Started:
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides
Still reading:
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
One ebook bought. So that’s ok. Sort of.
A slow start to the week, but actually in the end, I didn’t do too badly. Still a lot of books on the ongoing pile – but I’m blaming the building work for that!
Read:
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 2 by Ryan North
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Philips
Hortense and the Shadow by Nathalie O’Hara
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
The Greedy Queen by Annie Gray
Blood Will Stream by Nick Bryan
Started:
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
Still reading:
Wise Children by Angela Carter
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Two ebooks bought – but that’s it. So a bit better behaved from me!
Well, the combination of four nights away from home for work and then a lot of work on the house means not a lot read. As predicted really. What wasn’t predicted was the mass of books that I’ve got on the go at once because I’m so tired and my brain’s not working properly…
Read:
Nursing a Grudge by Diana Orgain
Rush Jobs by Nick Bryan
The Case of the Poisoned Chocolates by Anthony Berkley
Miss Seeton Quilts the Village by Hamilton Crane
Trapped in the Bargain Basement by Nick Bryan
Started:
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Still reading:
The Greedy Queen by Annie Gray
Wise Children by Angela Carter
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Two actual books bought and one ebook. Never mind.
New books read this month: 22*
Books from the to-read pile: 5
Ebooks read: 16
Books from the Library book pile: 1
Non-fiction books: 0 (but I have a couple on the go)
#ReadHarder categories completed: 1
Most read author: Susan Elizabeth Philips (4 in a massive binge)
Books read this year: 236
Books bought: 11 (8 ebooks, 4 books)
Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf: 527 (I don’t have copies of all of these!)
*Includes some short stories/novellas/comics (4 this month)
Chaos continues. I mean honestly. I have words for my own incompetence in setting my Week in Books as ready to publish without adding my Sunday reading. I’m surprised I’m allowed out alone. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed your Bank Holiday Monday if you had one. Anyway, on to another (quite brief) BotW.
Doreen Green is off to college. Her first task is to keep her secret identity as Squirrel Girl under wraps. But that’s easier said than done when you have a tail, your squirrel sidekick has followed you to campus and the world is under threat from all manner of bad guys.
I loved Doreen. She’s feisty, smart and a little bit nutty and she’s going to save the world. I don’t read a lot of super hero comics, but I picked this up as my Super Hero Comic with a Female Lead for the Read Harder Challenge. I’d heard a lot about it and it totally lived up to the hype. Doreen is the hero (or heroine) we need: she’s Unbeatable because she’s got a solution to everything and it’s often not to beat her enemy to a bloody pulp, but something smart and clever. Considering that I’d had a stressful week, this really hit the spot for me.
I love stories with strong, smart women at their centre and this ticks all those boxes. My only problem with this – as it is with all graphic novels – is that I read them too fast, and they’re expensive. But they’re also art, and labour intensive and so I give them a bit of a pass, especially as I really enjoy going into my local comic book store. I think I’ll be passing my copy on to my older niece (she’s 9) because I think she’d love this too.
You can get Unbeatable Squirrel Girl from all the usual places that sell comics, and at time of writing, the Kindle version for a very bargainous £3. I’m not a reader of comics on tablet, but Volume 2 was also super competitively priced, so I’ve got bought it and I’m going to give it a go. I’ll keep you posted. But visit a comic book store.
Happy Reading!
Oh the chaos. The first phase of plastering is done. And as I went to the MotoGP on Saturday and Sunday (it was amazing) I didn’t get caught up on my reading at the weekend either. But I don’t care! Or at least I’m trying not to. Decorating starts next weekend, so expect more of the same next week. Hey ho.
Read:
Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Philips
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan
Calling You Home by Daniela Sacerdoti
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North et al
Started:
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Still reading:
The Greedy Queen by Annie Gray
Wise Children by Angela Carter
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
No books bought though – although one preorder did turn up. But that’s already been accounted for in the list, so it doesn’t count this week!
As suspected, real life intruded on reading time this week, so not a huge amount read compared to some weeks. Hey ho, I’m sure it’ll sort itself out in the wash.
Read:
Designer Dirty Laundry by Diane Vallere
The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander
The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey
Intrigue in Capri by Ashley Weaver
Death Around the Bend by T E Kinsey
Started:
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
Still reading:
The Greedy Queen by Annie Gray
Wise Children by Angela Carter
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
One book and seven ebooks because there were a whole bunch of deals. Oops.
Verity Reads Books (lots of them) 