![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Books, Audiobooks, Courses - July 2021
Jul. 30th, 2021 05:27 pmAnother good reading month, and I may have reduced the To Be Read pile slightly (or I may have simply replaced books read with others!).
The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read
A shorter Fairacre book, but still enjoyable. I do like visiting the village and seeing the characters again. [D7]
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
Shedunnit book club read for the month. It was okay, but I'm not especially taken with the genre so far. I have one other book by a Japanese crime author which I shall read at some point, but I'm not convinced these are for me.
Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
Although the library said it had a copy it has been stuck in transit somewhere in the wilds of Gloucestershire since the beginning of March, and as I was fifth on the list I bought myself a cheap copy. This is the fourth Hamilton I have read this year in preparation for Matthew Bourne's Midnight Bell. He's an interesting author, very different from my normal reading, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Bourne interprets the books.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
A YA retelling of Cinderella as a homage to fandom. It was recommended to me a few years ago as a book bingo YA book, but I read something different. It's enjoyable - you can play 'spot the tropes' because that's the way it's written. And yes, it does have a happy ever after ending and a F/F subplot. [C7]
Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell
Recommended by various members of the Shedunnit book club as a light modern day murder mystery. It's amusing and doesn't take itself seriously. The crime is set in Venice while those solving the mystery are in the Temple area in London. I have the next two books in the series, for when I just want an light read.
Bodies from the Library 2 edited by Tony Medawar
Borrowed from the library, which was fortunate, as I wouldn't have wanted to spend money on it. This is a collection of short stories, but I only really enjoyed a couple. I much prefer the British Library Crime short stories.
Winter in Thrush Green by Miss Read
Also from the library. Having read the first Thrush Green book, I'm now working my way through the rest. I think I prefer Fairacre, but I shall enjoy the series, some of which I have on audiobook. Simple, gentle reading.
[Letters/numbers refer to my reading lists for the year, and record how I'm progressing. Nothing for 'A' or 'B' this month as I reached both A7 and B7 in previous months.]
Audiobooks:
The Mimosa Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu read by Crystal Yu. The next in the Crown Colony series - set in Singapore after the Japanese occupation. I was a bit wary because I had read all the earlier books and wasn't sure how I'd get on with an audiobook, but I did enjoy it. Now waiting to read the fifth in the series.
Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene read by Tim Pigott-Smith. Part of Audible's £3 sale. I really enjoyed this, and have bought three more Greene books with Pigott-Smith as narrator.
FutureLearn courses:
From World War to White Heat (history of the RAF) by Royal Holloway College. I was less interested in the types of aircraft, but the political situations and decisions was interesting, and some of the discussions were thought-provoking.
Introduction to Italian by Universita per Stranierie di Siena. A six week introduction to basic Italian, with plenty of opportunity to practise. I've definitely learnt a little of the language.
The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read
A shorter Fairacre book, but still enjoyable. I do like visiting the village and seeing the characters again. [D7]
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
Shedunnit book club read for the month. It was okay, but I'm not especially taken with the genre so far. I have one other book by a Japanese crime author which I shall read at some point, but I'm not convinced these are for me.
Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
Although the library said it had a copy it has been stuck in transit somewhere in the wilds of Gloucestershire since the beginning of March, and as I was fifth on the list I bought myself a cheap copy. This is the fourth Hamilton I have read this year in preparation for Matthew Bourne's Midnight Bell. He's an interesting author, very different from my normal reading, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Bourne interprets the books.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
A YA retelling of Cinderella as a homage to fandom. It was recommended to me a few years ago as a book bingo YA book, but I read something different. It's enjoyable - you can play 'spot the tropes' because that's the way it's written. And yes, it does have a happy ever after ending and a F/F subplot. [C7]
Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell
Recommended by various members of the Shedunnit book club as a light modern day murder mystery. It's amusing and doesn't take itself seriously. The crime is set in Venice while those solving the mystery are in the Temple area in London. I have the next two books in the series, for when I just want an light read.
Bodies from the Library 2 edited by Tony Medawar
Borrowed from the library, which was fortunate, as I wouldn't have wanted to spend money on it. This is a collection of short stories, but I only really enjoyed a couple. I much prefer the British Library Crime short stories.
Winter in Thrush Green by Miss Read
Also from the library. Having read the first Thrush Green book, I'm now working my way through the rest. I think I prefer Fairacre, but I shall enjoy the series, some of which I have on audiobook. Simple, gentle reading.
[Letters/numbers refer to my reading lists for the year, and record how I'm progressing. Nothing for 'A' or 'B' this month as I reached both A7 and B7 in previous months.]
Audiobooks:
The Mimosa Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu read by Crystal Yu. The next in the Crown Colony series - set in Singapore after the Japanese occupation. I was a bit wary because I had read all the earlier books and wasn't sure how I'd get on with an audiobook, but I did enjoy it. Now waiting to read the fifth in the series.
Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene read by Tim Pigott-Smith. Part of Audible's £3 sale. I really enjoyed this, and have bought three more Greene books with Pigott-Smith as narrator.
FutureLearn courses:
From World War to White Heat (history of the RAF) by Royal Holloway College. I was less interested in the types of aircraft, but the political situations and decisions was interesting, and some of the discussions were thought-provoking.
Introduction to Italian by Universita per Stranierie di Siena. A six week introduction to basic Italian, with plenty of opportunity to practise. I've definitely learnt a little of the language.
