After reading the back cover, I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, as it did sound a little dark. It was a very slow burn for all but the last third and hence took me a while to finish reading it. In the last third it picked up pace, but you had to have your wits about you to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot. By the end, it had me on the edge of my seat, and it wasn't an altogether comfortable place to be. Written with Harris's usual finely honed skill as a storyteller and very cleverly crafted, but I wouldn't say that it was my favourite novel by her.
After finishing Joanne Harris' book, I was pretty relieved to pick up something lighter and altogether more palatable. Lucy Diamond's 'Sweet Temptation' hit the spot. Although the plot is not all sweetness and light, as there are some sad parts to it, but overall it was a humorous and light hearted read. It's also took me a couple of weeks to read, as I don't seem to be getting much opportunity for reading, now that a normal weekday routine has resumed. It tells a story of three women who meet at a dieting club and follows the trials and tribulations of their lives whilst they try to lose weight. I enjoyed it. It was a nice story of friendship.
At the start of September, my original book pile was really starting to go down, which was incredibly satisfying, as it meant that the clutter in our bedroom was also reducing. Here's what the pile looked like earlier in the year sometime after I began this A Year in Books challenge.
Quite a lot of reading to get through, you'll agree. Well, by mid September it looked like this, which was a distinct improvement.
The books on the left are fiction and the books on the right non fiction. I've done quite a lot of reading this year, at least two to three books per month, so probably more than just what was missing from the original pile, as extra books were also added subsequently, but there is still a lot more reading to do to get through this lot. I'm hoping to get it down quite a bit further still before the end of the year, but it is slower going at the moment.
Anyway, it was looking pretty good, until that is, I bought 8 more reading books at a jumble sale last month, plus one other book I bought at the market. This was me in Low/No Spend September and trying not to buy any more books! Anyway, I'm now keeping those books on a separate pile to read next year and still trying to carry on making my way through the original pile.
I seem to have really stockpiled books this year, more so than any other year I can remember. Maybe it was a subconscious thing or maybe I just came across lots of appealing books on my travels. I guess if it gets me reading more it's all good.
Anyway, the books I'm hoping to read in October are these pictured below.
All but one (the Barbara Pym) are by author's I've read before. I'm sticking to familiar names still, although I do like to introduce completely new to me authors every now and again. I'm having a final stab at some everyday fiction before I start to read a few fictional titles that are set at Christmas time. I like to read these in the run up to Christmas, as they help get me in the Christmas spirit.
Joining in with Laura at The Circle of Pine Trees in trying to read at least one book a month for a year.
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