stargazer

Sunday Post: July Wrap-Up

Is it too late to post a July wrap-up on the 8th August? Well, I’m going for it.

Reading

Despite being a quiet blogging month, July was quite a good for reading. Assembly, didn’t live up to my high expectations, but I still found it interesting. The Heart’s Invisible Furies was a bit of a surprise. Review will follow soon.

Hungry, the memoir of the English food critic Grace Dent, was fun and nostalgic. I enjoyed reading about what it was like growing up in Carlisle in the 70s – 80s and what kind of food Grace connects with her childhood. The last part of the book was quite sad with Grace’s father disappearing more and more into his own world due to dementia.

My favourite summer reading has always been popular science and I couldn’t resist rereading The Planets, which was one of my favourite nonfiction books last year. I have a feeling, it won’t be my last reread.

I continued with why does E = mc2 ?, which is fairly basic science. Optimistically, I listened to this, whilst running errands. But it turned out, it was too complex for audio. If you have seen a Londoner walking around with headphones on and a thoroughly confused expression, it might have been me. Luckily, I also own a paper copy, which I will have to read instead, so I can take it in slowly.

Besides from popular science, crime fiction is my preferred summer reading and I managed two mysteries this month. Agatha Christie’s Five Little Pigs was surprisingly enjoyable. I am also slowly working my way through P. D. James’ Adam Dalgliesh series (in non-chronological order) and I now only have two left.

Very few of my July reads were actually on my TBR. I really am an impulse reader at heart. 😁

Blogging

During my short break, I decided to be a bit more relaxed about my blogging. Going forward, I may not always post on a weekly basis or have a certain number of book reviews. Most likely, you won’t notice any changes, but it feels good to have made that decision, so I won’t have to stress about having to write blog posts.

Audible plus

Are any of you subscribing to Audible? Then (at least if you are in the UK) you will have noticed this week’s launch of Audible plus, which gives you access to a range of free titles on top of your monthly subscription.

It isn’t easy to find the good titles in the free library, but I’ve noticed several classics, including Frankenstein and A Room with a View, which I would like to read and I am sure there are lots more. Perhaps Audible had to do something to prevent readers leaving for Scripd. In any case, I am not complaining about this bonus content.

This was all from me for now. How was your week? And what are you reading?

The Sunday Post is hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer.

42 comments

    • If you are interested in science, The Planets is an excellent choice. It’s one of the relatively rare books, which isn’t too complex for the majority of readers, whilst at the same time it provides enough “meat” to be interesting, even if you know a bit about astrophysics already.

  2. It’s never too late to post a wrap up! I spotted the audible plus change just as I cancelled my subscription. There were a few books that looked interesting but not enough to keep me especially as I’m still enjoying Scribd.

    • I would love to hear what you think of the Grace Dent book. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

    • You are right of course. I got into the habit of posting weekly and at some point I started to feel like I had to write a weekly post. Stupid, really.

  5. No, the 8th is definitely not too late to post your monthly wrap up post… I posted mine today, too! 😉 To be fair I was away on holiday and taking a blogging break, so that is why mine is later than usual. As for my reading, I am currently caught up in the gripping historical-fiction A Tapestry of Treason by Anne O’Brien. 🏰 Take care and happy reading in the coming week. 🙂

    • Good to hear I am not the only one who is a bit late, even if you had a valid excuse. 😀 I can see, I am also a bit late replying to my comments, but hey-ho, sometimes life has to take priority. Gripping historical fiction sounds good! Happy reading to you as well!

    • I don’t necessarily understand it either, but that doesn’t hold me back! 😆

  7. I’ve come to enjoy Grace Dent’s articles in the Guardian, but was initially put off by her BBC R4 programme, which I don’t like – for her voice as much as anything. Best read the book then. I enjoy a good crime novel too. It’s years since I read an Agatha Christie. I should read one! As you know, audio is not for me, so that’s one piece of advice I don’t have to take on board!

    • When I first listened to the audiobook, I didn’t like her voice either, but I got used to it. I also like to listen to people, who don’t speak “BBC English” but have a bit of an accent left. I find it charming and also it’s good practice, since I find it a bit difficult to understand accents.

      • Don’t worry, even native-born British people sometimes struggle with some accents. Glaswegian springs to mind. I love to listen to it, provided I don’t need immediately to give a coherent response 😉

        • Ah yes, I am not sure, I will ever reach the stage, where I can fully understand Glaswegian. But I like listening to it!

  8. Ooh, my comment seems to have disappeared. Perhaps it’ll pop up later. Meanwhile, I just wanted to say that at least Scripd isn’t owned by Amazon, which is definitely a bonus as far as I’m concerned.

    • Don’t worry, it showed up. Agree about Scripd and will give it a try. However, I am in knee-deep, listening to audiobooks from Audible, reading on my Kindle, buying most of my stuff on Amazon and registering my books of Goodreads. So it will be a while before I can cut all ties to Amazon, since they do in many respects have the best offering.

  10. Ah it’s never too late for a monthly wrap. 🙂

    I need to read more Christie. I love the cover on that one!

    • I am glad you don’t think it’s too late. Yeah, the cover is nice. There is a bit of a retro feel to it.

  11. Definitely not too late, Stargazer 😊 Seems like a pretty good month to me and I totally understand that feeling when you decide to be a little more relaxed with your blogging routine. I also saw that Audible Plus has launched and found a few things of interest. Often I feel that there’s just too much choice though, in general, not just in Audible. Choice is good – but I yearn for simplicity!

    • Thanks Sandra. Haha, I know exactly what you mean about too much choice. Whenever I visit a restaurant with a 10 pages menu, I always wish they had a tasting menu or just a few different courses to choose between. I will be a bit more relaxed about blogging going forward. Otherwise, it may stop being fun one day.

  12. I have read some great books in July. I am currently reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley which is suspenseful and tense and quite dark – I am excited to see how it ends as it is carefully creating an atmosphere of menace and hidden pain. Great stuff! Amy Poehler’s book was laugh out loud funny and has only made me more of a fan. And Auriel Roe’s novel about a boys’ school through fifty or so years was funny too. I like the way she writes and her books are so British. I love them.
    I am having an exciting trip to the library today to pick up two books that you have recommended – The Salt Road and The Employees, I think the titles are although they’ve been a long time getting to me so I may not be wholly accurate off the top of my head.

    • I’ve heard a lot of people being positive about The Guest List. Hope you enjoyed it, including the ending. The other two sound good as well.

      Oh really, I look forward to hear what you think of them! The Salt Path was such a great read, I think you will like it. The Employees is a bit odd, so I guess it appeals to a more limited audience. Also, I am highly surprised you could get the latter via the library, apparently people have been struggling even to get an ebook version.

      • Just finished The Employees and think that it was pretty good. Review to follow. Just starting The Salt Path which I’ve got into immediately. Looking forward to seeing where it takes me.
        Yes, The Employees took a long time to get to me but was readily available at the library. I think I may be the first one to read this copy though. The Salt Path, I was on a wait list.
        The Guest List was good. Thoroughly gripping and surprising.

        • Great, I will look out for your review! Did you suggest The Employees to your library? I know many libraries are open for suggestions. Also look forward to hear your views on The Salt Path.

          • Maybe I did. I do know that I had no problem finding it on their page but like you say, maybe I did suggest they get it. It could have been actually that someone else already had and it was pending. Anyway, let’s hope others enjoy it too.

  13. Never too late – it’s always fun to see what people are reading. Audible made that switch over earlier this year here in the US but I haven’t found much in the “extras” I’ve wanted to read to be honest.

    • Yeah, my first impression was that it was pretty low quality books, which were made available for “free”. However, then I saw other bloggers talking about books, which I hadn’t found and when I looked closer, I found some rather good books as well. However, it is quite time consuming to find the good books. At least I haven’t found a good way to do it, except browse through the catalogue one page at a time, which really isn’t ideal. Perhaps I will write another post, when I have some more experience with it.

  14. It’s good to finally make a decision isn’t it, it just makes it clear in our minds. I don’t really have any blog plans but still feel stressed about it which is all wrong! I’m looking forward to hearing what you thought of The Hearts Invisible Furies. . .

    • Yes, it was quite a relief. It really is silly to put any pressure on yourself when it comes to a hobby, which is meant to be fun. I guess I got caught up in it all. I did write my review of The Heart’s Invisible Furies, but not sure, when I will post it.

  15. It’s never too late to post a wrap up! I hope you forgive my late reaction too. I read many blogposts when they arrive in my inbox so the same day but I don’t always comment right away… Do you know if there a significant difference between Audible and Scribd (other than that Audible is linked to Amazon)? Maybe some day I’ll get a monthly subscription too.. at the moment I only listen to one book a month so not enough perhaps right now to sign up but maybe in the future… I can’t wait to read your thoughts on The Heart’s Invisible Furies and to find out how it surprised you. Have a wonderful week Stargazer!

    • Oh no, please don’t apologise!! I am often late in commenting and in this case also in replying to my comments, which is a lot worse. But in any case, for all of us blogging is just a hobby and of course there are other things in life, which has to take priority.

      I do mean to try Scripd, but I already know there is a huge difference. Audible has the biggest selection by far. Pretty much everything which are made into audiobooks is available on Audible including all the new releases. Scripd has a much more limited selection. Also, you don’t buy the books, you borrow them like from a library. On the other hand you can borrow unlimited, except if you read many of the popular (read: expensive) books. In that case, you may be blocked until the next month. Anyway, I may write a post about this, once I’ve tried Scripd. Have a wonderful week as well Inge!

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