This week has flown-by. I’m sure there must be some scientific evidence of that fact out there somewhere, cos it CANNOT almost be August!

The days are long but the months are short! #orsomething

What I read

It was a mixed reading week as I raced through the first novel on my list, Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant, before taking several nights off… eventually getting to Maggie’s Kitchen by Caroline Beecham and then The Falls by B. Michael Radburn.

What I wrote

There were book reviews – as one would suspect from a book blogger:

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant – an unlikeable narrator and protagonist we ultimately come to pity
The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells – a reminder that we may not know those we love as well as we think
I See You by Clare Mackintosh – a wonderful second book following her amazing 2015 debut
Maggie’s Kitchen by Caroline Beecham – an enjoyable novel set during WWII.

And then I wrote about the idea of ‘all or nothing‘. It’s something I mostly consider to be a bad way of thinking, but recognise the idea of really committing to something, can be good.

What I did

I returned to work after my break for surgery and recovery. I was surprised at how tired I was even though I only worked three days.

I put an offer in on a house which was accepted – but I refuse to elaborate more or celebrate until my sale (and therefore my purchase) go unconditional as I don’t want to jinx anything. So we aren’t allowed to talk about it. Okay?

And I’ve finally started watching the TV show Justified. I bought the first four seasons of the show when I was recovering from my surgery as I wasn’t in the mood to read. However… it turned out I wasn’t in the mood to watch TV either. But I’ve finally tuned in. I’m five episodes into season one. I suspect I’ll get addicted but as yet… I’m enjoying it but not loving it.

 

What I plan to do

There were some new arrivals I’m yet to sort into my chronological pile. Happily I now have ONE book outstanding on my electronic (NetGalley) shelf. I’ve not requested any for ages and am feeling content that my request / review rate is over 99%. (And yes, I was that kid who practised their multiplication tables solely for the gold stars!)

I had a lot, I mean shitloads of books being published in the final week of July into first week in August. What is that? Some conspiracy against book bloggers and reviewers? I’m fairly sure that must be the case because this little bunny has been stressed out of her mind. I’ve had to leave a few books (which have been of less interest) to get stuck into the dozen or so books released in these last few weeks and feel terribly guilty about that.

Anyhoo, I’ve actually just started a non-fiction book (shock, horror!) by Australia’s Charlotte Wood called The Writer’s Room which features a number of conversations with other Aussie authors. I’m only one conversation down and finding it really interesting. Writer Tegan Bennett Daylight is also a literary reviewer and talks to Charlotte about her reading habit (and how it’s influenced her writing).

And until next week, that’s all for me. What are your plans for the week?

I’m again linking up with Leanne from Deep Fried Fruit; Kimberly from The Caffeinated Book Reviewer; and Kathryn from The Book Date.