A new job, a new home, and a new favourite book
August was literally life-changing for me. I started a new job and moved house within weeks and my life has changed beyond recognition. With all these changes, my blog and bookstagram suffered from a bit of neglect. But now I’m (mostly) unpacked I can start to get back to ‘normal’!
Despite everything going on in my personal life, I still managed to keep reading at the same old pace. I read on buses and trains… whenever I could. Which really helped me retain a sense of ‘normalcy’ amongst all the craziness.
Anyways, I could prattle on for ages, but instead let’s take a look at what I managed to read in August 2019. Including a new favourite! I hope to have full reviews for each of these up ASAP.
Recursion
By Blake Crouch
At the end of last month, I read Dark Matter and The Heavens and wondered if Recursion would complete the hat-trick of five star reads. Well, I was right! Recursion is a now a new favourite of mine, and I’m beginning to think Blake Crouch may be some kind of genius!
Deep Work
By Cal Newport
It appears I’m on a mission to read everything Cal Newport has ever written, and so far I’ve enjoyed his work. I did find Deep Work a little more repetitive than his other books. It was less helpful than So Good They Can’t Ignore You, but still had nuggets of wisdom I liked.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
By Ottessa Moshfegh
I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I wasn’t sure at first as it is such an odd premise, and quite hard to read at times. But by the end I connected quite strongly with the main character.
Three Women
By Lisa Taddeo
I’d heard lots of great things, and was drawn in by that gorgeous cover, but ultimately I felt a but let down by Three Women. A non-fiction book of three women’s lives, it was told in a narrative prose style which took some getting used to.
Transcription
By Kate Atkinson
Such an interesting premise, following a woman who works for MI5 in the WW2 as a ‘transcriber’. There were so many unexpected layers to this story, and a deep exploration of the grey areas of morality and their roots with time and context.
The Stars Now Unclaimed
By Drew Williams
I was asked to review this for Bookstagram tour, and while I enjoyed the first half, by the second part the endless battles became quite tiresome. This book is action packed and well thought out, with great characters and a cool plot idea, but the endless action scenes became too much for me by the end, which was disappointing. If you enjoy space opera science fiction then this will be right up your street, but I think I’m learning that I like by science-fiction with a little more space and depth.
Tidelands
By Philippa Gregory
Another Bookstagram tour, but this time Philippa Gregory didn’t let me down. I’ve adored her books in the past, and so wasn’t surprised that her latest offering was also pretty darn great.
Convenience Store Woman
By Sayaka Murata
This one surprised me. I had heard many great things, but wasn’t hooked immediately. But apparently it was more absorbing than I thought as I looked up a couple hours later and had finished! This is translated contemporary fiction which lives up to the hype.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold
By Toshikazu Kawaguchi
An ARC I was drawn to thanks to the time travel element. I didn’t realise beforehand, but this was also set in Japan, I believe. The culture is a little different, and so the dialogue wasn’t as ‘natural’ as what I was used to, but then I wouldn’t know either way! I raced through this story as well, as it was an adorable concept. Sci-fi with a big heart.
