I updated my Books I’ve Read page this week and was shocked to realise I didn’t read anything to completion in July, and baaarrreeelllyy read anything in August/September as well. Oy. I mean, I know I’m in recovery mode and my brain cells have been struggling, and focusing on something for longer than a chapter is challenging, but yeah. Wow. I didn’t realise July had been quite that bad.
Still, not as bad as 2019 when I was really sick and went for 5 months without picking up a single thing to read!
Generally speaking I don’t read fast enough that a monthly TBR update is warranted, but maybe I’ll make this at least a quarterly thing or some such.
Anyhue, what I’ve managed to finish since finishing up teaching at the end of June is the first two books in J.C. Nelson’s Grimm Agency series (I started the third one this week) and Jackie French’s Backyard Self-Sufficiency, a semi-regular reread and general indicator that a) it’s spring and b) I’m longing for a small farm again. (Again.)
The Grimm Agency series (currently out of print but follow the author for updates) is great fun – an urban fantasy with worldbuilding not quite like anything I’ve seen in the genre. Marissa is an Agent for Grimm, the Fairy Godfather, who runs a kind of magical disaster agency. Got an ogre running loose in town? Call Grimm. Got a prince who needs his heart broken so he’ll fall for the right princess? Call Grimm. And of course, he’ll deploy Marissa.
The intrigue builds nicely over the series and digs deeply into the backgrounds of the characters, with some beautiful plot twists and reveals. All in all, a super fun series and if you like fun, light-hearted, snappy urban fantasy (something like R.J. Blain, I think, though with less sarcasm) they’re definitely worth a try. Of course, as with anything, YMMV etc etc disclaimer blah blah.
Backyard Self-Sufficiency is one that, despite its abominably poor final proofing, I return to over and over and over again because French’s frank and unguarded voice is delightfully disarming, AND she lives only an hour or so’s drive from me and thus shares a similar climate zone (though she is a little warmer in winter) and, as is to be expected given the frankness and lack of patience for rules, it’s inspiring to see her growing all sorts of things that oughtn’t to be able to grow in this climate through her stubbornness, logical forethought and willingness to give anything a shot. IDK. I just find it a refreshing, easy read that doesn’t patronise or overcomplicate. It has recipes in it too, the kind that half the time don’t come with quantities; it’s so ruthlessly logical and practical and assumes the same of its reader that you just kind of come away imbued with confidence that perhaps – just perhaps – its expectations of you aren’t misplaced after all.
Apart from that, a general list of books I’m partway through and am enjoying:
- The Great Game: The Myths And Reality Of Espionage – Frederick Hitz
- How The World Really Works – Vaclav Smil
- Find Your Unicorn Space – Eve Rodsky
- Selected Poems – Rainer Maria Rilke
- This Is Marketing – Seth Godin
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
And what are you reading and enjoying lately? <3