Taking stock at this point, two thirds of the way through the year, I needed to have read 35 books by the end of August to be on track with the 52 book challenge. That turned out to be a bit of a tall ask - I was at 28 categories ticked off by the middle of the month, with proper plans for another ten. Somehow, despite having some holiday time this month, I seem to have managed to complete far fewer books than usual, so really need to focus more through the last third of the year.
In the way of these things, I've generally ticked off the easiest categories from the 52 book challenge first, and left some of the ones which are more, well, challenging for me to the tail end of the year. Five categories remain completely blank, as I have no idea what I will read to complete these. The ghostwriter felt like a very difficult one for a while, as I don't have much (or any) interest in celebrity autobiographies and couldn't think of much else - and then I realised that the new 'Agatha Christie' books would fit this perfectly!
I picked up an Audible subscription earlier in the year, when they were offering three months for free, so have a wider range of audiobooks available now. This is giving me the chance to listen to some of the books which have been on my 'I'd love to read that but don't really think I want to pay full price for the privilege' list, and which aren't available from the public library. Admittedly, quite a few of these are ones I could borrow from the University library, but somehow I don't often get around to that. The current problem is that I don't have enough time in the car to make significant progress - an 11 hour book will probably take me around 6-7 weeks if I can only listen while commuting, and I just can't listen properly at home.
Having been shocked by just how short my August list is, I'm trying to focus a bit more so I can catch up a bit in September!
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
This is a classic for a reason - it's beautifully written, and even having read it before, it was just as enjoyable the second time through. Poirot's character is so well described, and his methods so apparently straightforward that the reader is gently led to the correct conclusion with just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting while never completely obscuring the solution.
My copy is very special to me, as I bought it on the Orient Express a good few years ago when travelling with my sister; I'd never read it before that trip, so it seemed like the perfect memento. Since then it's sat decoratively on the shelf in one house after another, until finally I picked it up again, and enjoyed both the story and the memories of a wonderful few days travelling in the most opulent luxury.
[1. Locked-room mystery]
Bibliomaniac by Robin Ince [audiobook]
I got most of the way through this, then it auto-returned to the library so I'm having to wait to be able to finish it! Contrary to my usual practice, I'm including it in the August listing though, as even though I didn't finish it, it was a significant part of my book consumption this month.
Robin Ince is a self-confessed bibliomaniac (the next LARGE step up from bibliophile!); having had most of his anticipated comedy gigs cancelled due to covid, he decided to arrange a book tour instead. What started as a fairly simple idea quickly grew to attempting to do events in 100 bookshops. This book is the result of that, describing his journeys, the towns and shops he visits, the talks he gives, the books he buys, and anything else that occurs to him along the way. If you need someone to make you feel better about your own book hoard and buying habits, he's your man!
I really enjoyed this - his sense of humour, openness about his own weaknesses, and clear love of books and reading anything and everything made him a friend I've never met.
'The Red Dragon - the Story of the Welsh Flag by Siôn T. Jobbins
I've idly wondered through the years why the Welsh flag has the dragon and is so distinctively different from the other flags of the British Isles, so while on holiday in Anglesey and looking for a book related to Wales to buy, this little one caught my eye. It presents a simple overview of Welsh history, and traces the role of the red dragon in both forming a national identity and in becoming the symbol of this. For someone like me with a vague interest but no real background knowledge, it was the ideal book - enough historical context to place it in the wider picture (which for me is also embarassingly vague), but not even close to getting bogged down in political detail.
[43. About finding identity]
I've realised that I missed out an audiobook from May (I think!):
Portable Magic by Emma Smith. This had caught my eye when it was published, but hadn't made its way to my purchase pile and had then fallen off my radar. However, while looking for suitable library books to listen to with my husband as we were driving for a few hours, I thought this might work - and it did! It's one of the very few books we both enjoyed pretty much equally. It's a book about books - as objects, rather than as stories - and the way they influence our lives and lifestyles. Superbly well written, and very well read, I strongly recommend this to booklovers everywhere! (And yes, she does address the irony or potential tension of an audiobook version of a physical book about the physicality of books!)
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