Reading Log: July

If I thought June's three books was a rather low month, July has somehow managed to be no better. Things have been pretty busy here with both offspring graduating and preparing to spread their wings, and I'm still utterly drained mentally, so I knew I'd hardly read anything - but seeing it like this makes me realise just how bad it is!

James by Percival Everett

This was my bookclub's pick for July; even though I wasn't able to get to their meeting, I'm really glad I read it. James (or Jim) is a slave who runs away when he discovers his owner plans to sell him down the river, separating him from his wife and daughter. The book doesn't shy away from addressing the brutal realities of slavery, but absolutely doesn't wallow in them. Above all, it's a story of family, dignity, courage, and hope. Very strongly recommended.

Kärlekens idioter by Emma Hamberg

Simona has a deep distrust of men since the end of her marriage; Albin wishes his mum wasn't so clingy. Gertrude is happy with the chestnut tree she considers her partner. JP has around 20,000 books and a fear of commitment. When Gertrude's tree disappears without trace overnight, all of their worlds are turned upside down. Somehow in the ensuing turmoil, they are brought together, a new library is formed, and new opportunities are discovered. A very satisfying read.

The Baby Dragon Café by A T Qureshi

I was feeling the need to try and add one more book to July’s total, so picked this up off my TBR, figuring (correctly) that it would be a light and easy read. There’s nothing surprising in it at all; the bumps in the path of true love are just tiny pebbles, and all is resolved easily. That in fact was the problem I had with it - challenges were glossed over, or overcome as though they barely existed, as though working through them fully would be too difficult - although I can’t help thinking the story and characters would have benefited greatly from more development. Some tighter editing would also have helped, for me - I don’t need to be told three times that dragon roast coffee is more intense than light, medium, or even dark roasts, or that Drakkon families don’t welcome outsiders in to their circles. And the not-quite-an-actual sentence really should have been picked up and sorted out at some stage in the process… All in all, I’m left somewhat disappointed, and unlikely to read the rest of the series.

Purchases:

Straff by Ann-Helene Laestadius (sort of - Offspring #1 and I have agreed we'll share this series)

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (bookclub read for October)