By the end of the day, July will be over and we’ll be one month closer to the end of the year. I know 2020 was the longest year in history but 2021 really isn’t wasting any time. The end of July also means the end of short month titles. From here on out, it’s long names to spell out. I’m pretty concerned that I won’t manage it but I’ll do what I can. Hopefully, I can just get through with audiobooks and graphic novels.
Number of books read: 10
Number of rereads: 1
Number of physical books: 5
Number of ebooks: 1
Number of audiobooks: 4
5* reviews: 1
4.5* reviews: 0
4* reviews: 2
We’re over halfway through the year and the days seem to be speeding up but I still feel like every week at work is twice as long as it should be. Not sure how that works. I also don’t know how I’ve managed to read so many books this month. It felt like such a hard month to get motivated. I guess it helps that I’ve been reading shorter books.
One of the best things about my Spell the Month reading challenge is that I’m reading way more books that I’d never have known about. Having to search out certain letters is opening my eyes to titles I’d have never have thought about picking up. This is one of those books. I’m not a real YA fan anyway but a YA romance? Definitely not my usual kind of book. I thought I’d take the chance to step out of my comfort zone while also finding an easy read for the letter Y. Whatever the actual story was like, I could at least be confident that it wouldn’t take a long time to read.
It’s been another slow week, which is mostly due to the weather. I’m not built for this kind of heat and it’s really put me off reading. I have read a bit more than I did last week but it’s nothing to shout about. I’m very much aware that I’m getting to the end of July and I still have a few letters to cross off my reading challenge. I’ll get there. It will just require all of my attention. A real shame considering that I’ve got a lot to do today. Weekends need to be longer.
Do you ever get those books that just live in your online shopping basket forever? This was one of those books. I was interested in reading it but not enough to actually go through with it. I guess I just wasn’t totally convinced by the premise. I mean, another book that wanted to explore the impact of your online life on your real life? Yeah, we haven’t seen something like that before. I know this was nominated for a bunch of stuff but it just sounded like the kind of book that had the potential to be disappointing. So, I didn’t really feel like wasting money on the hardback. It was only when the audiobook came up on Audible for £3 that I decided to give it a go. The fact that it was also under 5 hours long helped my decision. I’ve been getting behind on my schedule quite regularly at the moment, which is why I’m posting this on Friday instead of Wednesday as usual. It’s too hot to read and writer anything.
Boy it was a hot day yesterday. As someone who doesn’t do well in the sun, I spent much of the day avoiding it. I know many people would have taken the chance to get out and read. Not me. I just get itchy and burnt. Not the ideal reading conditions. Although, this hasn’t been my best week. I’ve barely been managing a chapter a night. I don’t know what’s happened this week but I’ve just felt so tired. Tired and achy. I was worried that I was ill but it doesn’t seem to have manifested into anything. In the current climate, any flu-like symptoms are being treated with extra suspicion. As a clinically extremely vulnerable person, I’m really not looking forward to the UK’s restrictions ending on Monday. I’ll be taking part in self-imposed shielding wherever I can I think.
I had a pretty good Saturday all in all. I didn’t do anything exciting. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I was sorting out books that I need to unhaul and get rid of old Instagram props that I no longer use. What made it better was listening to Agatha Christie’s The Thirteen Problems as I did it. Although, the production wasn’t that great. I know a lot of people prefer Joan Hickson’s narration but I get a bit tired of it. She doesn’t really differentiate between characters and I find that really irritating. You have to pay closer attention to who is talking and, in book like this, it’s important to know who is talking.
Is it just me or did last week go pretty quickly? Work seemed pretty manageable. Maybe it was down to the football? People are happier and generally easier to deal with? If that’s the cast then England better bloody win tomorrow. Otherwise Monday could be a bloody nightmare. Will I be watching the game? No. I’m sure I’ll keep up with the action though as my neighbours tend to react pretty loudly whenever anything happens. Leaving me free to read.
Like many others, I first became interested in this book when it was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018. It sounded like an interesting story and I’m always intrigued by feminist dystopian fiction. I never actually bought it though because, as is always the case, I had far too much to read first. I then got a copy in a book subscription box that I used to get. It wasn’t a great subscription all round but this was definitely a highlight. The book has spent the last year or so on my shelf waiting to be read. Why did I decide to read it now? I wanted the excuse to experiment with water in some photos. I’ve had worse reasons for picking up a book but this isn’t exactly my finest hour. I was still interested but I’d also heard mixed things about Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel. I guess that I had to find out for myself.
I’d started reading The Mystery of Love in February for LGBTQ+ history month. Although, I didn’t really get very far. I just wasn’t in the mood for it and I had plenty of other books to finish first. So, I decided that Pride month was the perfect time to finish it. I ended up listening to the audiobook on my lunchbreaks so it took a few days to actually get to the end but I managed it just in time for the end of June. I actually think getting the audiobook made a big difference to how easy this was to read. Whether it was the narrator, the book or both, The Mystery of Love was the perfect thing to listen to.
