This one is something of a challenge to compile, as I didn't note down a single book I read all month. I didn't manage to finish many, but there were at least a couple...
Mitt Liv som Pingvin by Katarina Mazetti [audiobook]
I read this in 'real' book a few years ago and have been wanting to reread it ever since, so when I discovered the audio book was available in Audible, that was an obvious use of one of my monthly credits! The story follows a small group of tourists on an antarctic cruise, told from several different participants' perspectives. The hidden complexities of each character are gradually revealed, along with the usually unseen wildlife and scenery. It's a well-written story, and I've maintained great affection for the main characters ever since I first met them - along with a desire to go on an antarctic adventure myself!
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennett, Witch by Melinda Taub [audiobook]
Another Audible monthly credits purchase, having looked at the hardcopy in a bookshop. I've been really disappointed in this one; following what felt like a rather promising start, the eponymous narrator is revealed as a very self-centred character who really doesn't seem to grow up at all. It's possible that her writing the 'confession' is supposed to reflect her finally achieving some sort of maturity and taking responsibility for her own actions, but with 5 1/2 hours remaining of a 14 hour story, I've given up. I just can't quite bring myself to put it back on and find out any more. The 'twists' so far have been so obvious that even I have seen them coming and been entirely unsurprised by what felt as though it should have been a great reveal, and Lydia is quite simply irritating me. Oh, and there are of course the inevitable americanisms sprinkled throughout the very English context, which never fails to pull me out of any kind of immersion which I may have managed. So short of some audiobook crisis where this is the only thing available to me, I really don't think I'm going to be finishing it.
A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World by Gonzalez Macias
This was a somewhat random pick in a bookshop when I'd found a couple of my fairly normal crime-style books, and wanted something completely different to go with them. This caught my eye, and absolutely met the brief! It is, as it says, about 35 lighthouses - with two double spreads devoted to each. It's generously illustrated, and for each lighthouse includes maps to show the location, etchings of the lighthouse, details of its contstruction, lighting, and notable other information, as well as a page which tells something of its history - either how it came to be built, or some sort of (usually slightly spooky) story from its past operations. A fascinating little delight, which has ignited my wanderlust and makes me want to go visiting some of these remote places!
Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers
This is the first Lord Peter Wimsey book, so turned out to be a good one to have chosen. For all that I like gentle crime (rather than thrillers), I'd never read any Sayers before now. Definitely enjoyable, and I'm very likely to read more - I think my parents have a few on a shelf somewhere. Just a proper traditional amateur detective story, with the inevitable bungling policeman getting in the way of the keen sleuth's investigation. No big surprises, but very nicely written and a pleasant read.
[25. An author which 'everyone' has read except you]
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