Fall is here. The meteorologist says it arrived at 8:05 PM on Tuesday, but for me autumn always begins with my first pumpkin spice latte! That happened last Saturday. So before I get too carried away with the colors and flavors of the season, l'll pause for a summer reading wrap-up. As you can see from the photo, I had the extra pleasure of late August and September reading on the rooftop of our NYC rental.
Here is the original list I posted in June, along with a note on how I fared with each title:
BOOK CLUB
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan ✅ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (my review)
AUSTEN IN AUGUST
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, David Shapard ✅ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (my review)
Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley - In progress, 70%, now on the back burner
The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow ✖ - I wasn't in the mood for a retelling.
NEW RELEASE PRIORITIES
John of John by Douglas Stuart ✖ - I'm still on the library hold list
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer - DNF, 20%
Summerland Cove by Ellen Baker ✅ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (no review yet)
ONGOING GROUP READ
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy ✅ - 78%, still on schedule
I'm happy to have finished so many books on that original list. In addition I also read two early fall book club selections and several impulse reads. Those included:
Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild ⭐⭐⭐💫 (book club, my review)
Murder takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman ⭐⭐⭐💫 (mystery, my review)
The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (classic, my review)
Departure(s) by Julian Barnes ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (literary fiction, my review)
Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (classic, my review)
How was your summer reading? Did you stick to your original list?
What a fabulous spot to read! Are you going to miss your NYC rental?
ReplyDeleteOf the books you've read, I enjoyed/loved Dolly All the Time, Whistler, and Finding Grace. I've added Kin and Summerland Cove to my TBR list. I'm very pleased with my results on the challenge.
Just glanced over at my bookcase, which I culled over two dozen books that no longer appeal to me, and am ready to create my Nonfiction November list! Stay tuned!
Les - There are some things I will miss about this rental... the proximity to our daughter, rooftop, view, and restaurants. But I'm looking forward to having my own washer & drier, well-equipped kitchen, and a car to get a week's worth of groceries at once! The little things ;-)
DeleteKin was excellent and I especially enjoyed the dual narrator audio production. Summerland Cove turned out to be much more of a page-turner than I expected. I'm working on a list for Nonfiction November, too!
You had some good books and I have read some, and some are still on my holds list at the library. John of John is getting closer as is Sisters of a Halved Heart. Troika isn't at my library and I won't spend $14 for a Kindle version...maybe it will go on sale.
ReplyDeleteWhistler was my favorite over the summer. Great story.
Love that rooftop view! Hope the grandbaby spoiling is continuing and will look forward to an update.
Tina - I should finally get John of John in October, but I'm also at the top of the hold list for Min Jin Lee's new novel, American Hagwon. Decisions, decisions...
DeleteI wouldn't recommend spend ing $14 on the kindle version of Troika. The audio version came up on an audible sale, so I went that route and enjoyed it quite a bit. Whistler was excellent!
Grandbaby is one month old today. It's going to be hard to leave him on Saturday!!
I have to return Dolly All the Time today, unread as of yet, sadly. I shall request it again!
ReplyDeleteDeb - There are times when only a romance will do!
DeleteLovely view and great collection of books! I loved Dolly All the Time and have Whistler high up on my TBR. I will have to look for the rest of these.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I just bought a copy of Nora Goes Off Script last week and am looking forward to it. Whistler was such a good read and Eddie is my favorite character so far this year!
DeleteI hope you find time to finish it. And what a view to read with, enjoy your last days in the city with that little grandson.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana, thanks for stopping by. The view from the roof is just glorious, both during the day and at night. We can watch the sunset over the Hudson River and all the lights in the city come on. I'm going to miss that. The time with our newborn grandson has been such a gift, and this weekend we head home and await the birth of our granddaughter!
DeleteReally enjoyed Whistler and Finding Grace. I think my last comment posted before I was done typing. Anyway, Patchett. How can you go wrong? He writing is like a warm hug.
ReplyDeleteTi - What a perfect way to describe Patchett's writing. And who doesn't need a warm hug these days!
DeleteGreat recap. Are you still on the rooftop? Or have you left that rental? Whistler and Kin were certainly highlights to this summer's reading for me as well. And the Dolly novel looks fun. Just slightly beware the Douglas Stuart novel is a bit intense subject matter ... of the secrets within. But you might still find it compelling ... of the son's story.
ReplyDeleteSusan - We're in NYC until this weekend. Time to get back to CT and await grandbaby #2! Thanks for the heads up about John of John. I'll give it a try later this fall.
DeleteWhat a great set of summer books. I just finished Dolly All the Time this morning, and I also loved it. I don't read a lot of romance, but this one worked so well. Now, I want crab cakes!
ReplyDeleteJaneGS - I'm not much of a romance reader either, but enjoyed Dolly all the Time so much that I bought a copy of Nora Goes off Script for the next time nothing but a romance will do!
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