I don’t like August very much. It can be too hot (though the weather here in London up till now has suggested otherwise, but I bet a mini-heatwave will sneak up on me when I least expect it); all my friends and a large proportion of my team at work head off on holiday (and I get grumpy because my hols aren’t until October but they’ll all miss me when I’m not here, just wait and see); there is very little on TV and all of these things added together mean that I get very bored very easily.
But there are two things that help to keep me going. One is the BBC Proms (and I am going to five concerts this year between 4 August and 12 September) and the other is Crime Month on Bride of the Book God. Because of all the things I’ve said above, I don’t want to read anything too heavy or difficult where my brain has to work even though I’m sitting in a hot train trying to manage a bottle of water, a fan, my bags, my iPod and a book, and crime fiction has been the perfect solution in the past.
So between now and August Bank Holiday (after which life gets back to a semblance of normality) I intend to read as many of the following as I possibly can (in no particular order):
Broken Skin, Flesh House and Blind Eye, all by Stuart MacBride
The Victoria Vanishes and Bryant and May on the Loose by Christopher Fowler
When Will There be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
In the Dark by Mark Billingham
An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson
Dead Clever by Scarlett Thomas
Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
After the Armistice Ball by Catriona McPherson
Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder by Giles Brandreth
The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
The September Society by Charles Finch
Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
I hope that the Language of Bees by Laurie King will arrive very shortly and if it does it will almost immediately go to the top of the pile. And I’ve made a start with The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth. If you’ve read any of the above I’d love to know what you think.
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August 2, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Danielle
I love Maisie Dobbs and have read all Winspear’s books. I also love Laurie King, but it looks like you are further along in the series than I am–so you already know how good she is. I’ve heard good things about the Rennie Airth book–I may have to pickit up myself! Enjoy your crime month–I love mysteries but they sound like perfect reading for the month of August!
August 3, 2009 at 9:20 pm
brideofthebookgod
Danielle – I’m up to date with the Mary Russell books, and the Kate Martinelli ones but I haven’t read all of her standalone mysteries. And like you I’m very fond of Maisie.
August 17, 2009 at 8:36 am
Surviving August « Bride of the Book God
[…] under Concerts | Tags: Summer is far too long | Leave a Comment So I moaned quite a bit here about how much I dislike August and gave some (though by no means all, believe me) of the reasons […]
August 20, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Susan
I’m so jealous of your mystery month! I love this idea!!!! Maybe November, after RIP is over….As you know, I bought the first Charles Finch mystery because of you, and the first Maisie Dodds, and I’m one book behind in the Kathy Reichs series. How are Mark Billingham’s books? He gets good reviews over here too, I just haven’t picked one up yet. Enjoy your lovely month of mystery, mystery, mystery!!
August 20, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Susan
PS just read the first Kate Atkinson too, really enjoyed it so bought the second one. Maybe I do need a mystery month too, just to catch up on what I bought!! lol
November 29, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Adelgisa
I’m agree with you, lots of useful information. Thanks