Hello dear reader! (How do you feel about being called a dear reader? I’m trying something out.)
Welcome to the month my reading brain started to give up. I have started and abandoned three books this month, and managed to get through two audiobooks and three novels. So we still have something to talk about! Let’s dive in.
One and Two. Crucible of Gold and Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik
These were my two audiobooks - the seventh and eighth of the Temeraire series by Novik. Quick refresher - these are set in the Napoleonic era but with dragons. They follow Captain Lawrence and his dragon Temeraire as they battle Napoleon and various other nefarious forces. These two were set in Peru and Russia. I really enjoy how Novik explores different cultures and tries to figure out how their society would adapt to dragons.
How I read it: Through my headphones whilst pounding the pavements on walks
Three. The nine tailors by Dorothy Sayers
I picked up this crime caper featuring my perennial favourite Lord Peter Wimsey from the library. It’s set in a tiny village in Norfolk and church bells and bellringing feature heavily. Funnily enough it is not the first time I have read a novel where bells are a key component! Like all her Wimsey stories it has a murderous knot to unravel, lots of funny moments, and also a surprisingly dark heart. Great for a wintery evening.
How I read it: While cooking a risotto. Stir with one hand, hold a book with the other.
Four. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This book has been very popular in book circles on TikTok and Instagram, possibly partly because it has a pretty iridescent cover. But that would be being a bit mean, because it is also very good. It follows Sam and Sadie who meet as children and bond over playing video games. They connect again later in life and start to make games together. The characterisation is brilliant, they felt like completely real people. And the style is really up my street - lots of detail and insights into the brains of all the characters so you understand why everyone is doing what they’re doing. The plot is interesting but you don’t need to be interested in video games because the beating heart is the relationship between Sam and Sadie.
How I read it: Every spare minute I had
Five. The beauty of the wolf by Wray Delaney
Wray Delaney is the pseudonym of Sally Gardner who is a successful children’s author. She mostly writes historical fiction, and she continues in this vein for her adult novels but with a fairytale twist. This book is loosely based around the story of Beauty and the Beast. It had some elements I liked - an interesting setting, a magical vibe but not too explicitly explained so it retained some mystery - but the rest didn’t work for me. The characters were very cookie cutter and 2D, and it felt like because it was an adult novel she had decided to shoehorn lots of sex scenes in there which didn’t serve the plot.
How I read it: In the evenings after the baby went to bed
Book of the month: It has to be Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. This time you can believe the hype!
How is your reading brain doing? Maybe November is just a bad time to read?