I thought I’d start doing a more detailed end-of-month post (partly modelled on what Jackie does at Farm Lane Books), and list everything I’ve reviewed in the month. Which, in July, was a fair amount, and pretty much all of it worth reading. My pick of the month is The Radleys by Matt Haig, which might be the most enjoyable book I’ve read all year. (An honourable mention must also go to An A-Z of Possible Worlds by A.C. Tillyer, which is excellent, but which I read last year and only got around to reviewing now.)
My full list of book reviews for July is:
Matt Haig, The Radleys [****]
A.C. Tillyer, An A-Z of Possible Worlds [****]
Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death [****]
Tim Davys, Amberville [***½]
Maria Barbal, Stone in a Landslide [***½]
Jonathan Lee, Who Is Mr Satoshi? [***½]
Rowan Somerville, The Shape of Her [***½]
Douglas Thompson, Ultrameta [***½]
Nick Arvin, The Reconstructionist [***]
Jonathan L. Howard, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer [***]
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Also on the blog in July:
I reviewed issue 15 of Pen Pusher Magazine.
I posted the Man Booker longlist, and gave my thoughts on its lack of genre fiction.
I suggested some ways in which books and TV shows could keep old tropes fresh.
I continued to work my way through the Gaiman/Sarrantonio Stories anthology.
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Finally, looking forward, here are the books published in August which have so far caught my eye, and will hopefully feature on the blog:
Sean Ferrell, Numb
Tom McCarthy, C
Gabe Rotter, The Human Bobby
Jess Walter, The Financial Lives of the Poets
Mark Watson, Eleven
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How was your July in reading?
1st August 2010 at 10:07 pm
I’m very tempted to try The Radleys, but I haven’t had a good history with vampires…hmm perhaps I need to give it a try anyway!
2nd August 2010 at 1:58 am
I see some very interesting titles here.
Gonna add to my tbr pile!
TSS: What Books I Read in July
2nd August 2010 at 12:16 pm
Jackie: It’s much better than the average vampire fiction, trust me (actually, even calling it ‘vampire fiction’ makes it sound as though the book fits neatly into a category, when really it doesn’t).
Gautami: Thanks, and I hope you enjoy whatever you pick!