Throughout the month of July, I finished five books (I’ve worded it like this because I started a couple of these in June). There have been a few that are later books in the series that I will eventually review but haven’t done so yet due to not having reviewed the previous books in the series. I would rather get every book in a series reviewed first.
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Below are the five books I’ve reviewed this month along with a short summary of each of them. If I’ve reviewed them, I’ve attached reviews, if not, it’s simply a summary of each of the books. There are also options to pick
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
My summary of The Family Upstairs: “I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark tale, those who love a mystery and those who love thrillers. Lisa Jewell clearly had a concept in her head when she was writing this and has executed it very well. This is one of those novels that takes quite some intelligence to fulfil the potential of and Jewell clearly has plenty. A big success.”
If you’re looking for something with action, guns or explosions, this isn’t the book for you. If you’re looking for something beautifully written that could well become a modern classic, then I’d pick up Hamnet. You’ll experience poetic writing, relatable characters and the struggles that real humans face every day, no matter what time they’re from.”
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
My summary of A Thousand Splendid Suns: “A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini blew me away. It had come highly recommended by quite a few and it did not let me down. This is a book that will tug at your emotions and immerse you in such a dark and horrible life that you won’t be able to stop yourself feeling sympathy for the women, poor and homeless of Afghanistan during these times and even likely now.
If you enjoy books that take you on an emotional rollercoaster or books that educate you with their tales, then I’d highly recommend this novel. If you just love good books, I’d recommend this novel too as it’s beautifully written. However, I must issue some trigger warnings of rape, physical and mental abuse and even possible trigger warnings around war. This isn’t your jolly summer read. But it is, without a shadow of a doubt, worth every word on every page.“
- Read my full review of A Thousand Splendid Suns here.
- Get your copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns here.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My summary of The Great Gatsby: “The Great Gatsby has been studied in American schools for decades, it’s been performed in stage plays and been made into movies, and is still widely considered one of the greatest forms of American literature. There’s no doubt I can see why. However, for the type of book I like to read, it just didn’t press all my buttons.
Don’t get me wrong, this book is wonderfully written, in fact, it’s an absolute joy to read and listen to simply for its prose. However, I love a good plot and I love a good set of deep characters with real personalities and unfortunately, I didn’t get that here. So just a four from me.“
The Ninth Step by Mark Dawson
My summary of The Ninth Step: I’ve been reading the John Milton series by Mark Dawson for a couple of years now. The series focuses on John Milton, a James Bond-like figure who travels around the world looking to remain undetected by those who want him dead. During his travels, he comes across people who need his help for all sorts of different reasons and this series essentially chronicles those stories.
It’s an easy enough series to read and there’s plenty of them. The Ninth Step is the eighth in the series and tells the tale of when John Milton, also a recovering alcoholic, ends up getting involved with one of his fellow rehabilitation members, who ends up dead. There’s a lot more to the tale than Milton initially thinks. It’s a good enough story backed up with just enough action to keep you gripped.
Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski
My summary of Baptism of Fire: The fourth book in The Witcher series, the second fully-fledged book is Baptism of Fire. The book sees Geralt carry on his search for Ciri whilst meeting new companions along the way. It incorporates a fantastic piece of mythology into the story too which I loved (no spoilers).
I absolutely love this series and am determined to read every single thing about this world. Sapkwoski writes incredible characters and makes the fantastical seem so dark and brooding but not in a gloomy way, simply more life-like.
To summarise…
July saw me pick up a few longer books and continue some of the longer series I’ve been reading. It’s worth noting that I have spent a couple of weeks of July listening to the audiobook of Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson too which is taking up quite a lot of my time.
However, five books is still a good showing and I’ve read some absolute blinders. I’d have to say my favourite book I read in July has to be A Thousand Splendid Suns – it blew me away and I was absolutely obsessed with it, telling everybody who I saw over the coming days about it.
