July has been a very busy month with lots of fun social plans. I attended a gothic fiction workshop which has got some ideas flowing for a new piece that I’ve added to my future project planning list. I have also started work on mapping out a Choose Your Own Adventure book, it’s an incredible challenge but I’m finding it absorbing and very exciting.
Picking up a book is still one of my favourite ways to unwind, and I finished a few more from my TBR list this month. Without further ado, I present to you my July reading stats:
- 6 books completed
- 84% fiction
- 16% non-fiction
- 50% physical books
- 34% digital books
- 16% audiobooks
July reading reviews.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone.
When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.
And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him?
As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.
Louise, a single mother gets caught up in an affair with her married boss, David, and things get even more complicated when she befriends his wife, Adele.
This book is told from the POV of our two female main characters, and mixes current timeline with flashbacks to Adele’s mysterious past. It was a page turner and I read through this pretty darn speedy as I was curious to detangle all the webs and learn everyone’s dark secrets.
Unfortunately, the characters are truly unlikeable and I struggled to believe some of their actions. I was intrigued to see what happened with Adele as she was a more complex and interesting character. When it got to the final big twist at the end I kind of lost it because it was literally *insane*.
Pet peeves: Louise is reckless and irresponsible; why is literally everyone obsessed with David; the twist theme makes no sense in a domestic/psychological thriller but is something I have seen and loved in horror. I think this could have worked better for me if it was a genre piece, but it felt jarring here.
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle.
Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly…something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep.
Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.
When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.
Vesper has distanced herself from a toxic family upbringing in a strict religious community. When she receives an invitation to her cousin’s wedding, she is drawn back to the place and the people that she tried to leave behind.
I loved discovering Vesper’s mysterious past and getting to know her crazy friends and family from where she grew up. It took me some time to warm to Vesper as she is mostly angsty, conflicted and very judgemental of others, but once we get a glimpse of her vulnerable side her strength shines through.
Some of the plot points were fairly obvious to see coming, but I enjoyed how everything unravelled into complete chaos.
I read this as part of a readalong hosted by @unstable.books and @matts_books.and.drams and thoroughly enjoyed the discussion group. It added another level of enjoyment getting to share reading experiences with everyone else, and it motivated me to read a book from my overgrown TBR book pile so I am very thankful for that.
Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare by Will Tosh
Was Shakespeare gay? The answer is both simpler and more complex than you might think . . .
Shakespeare’s work was profoundly influenced by the queer culture of his time – much of it totally integrated into mainstream society. From a relentless schooling in Latin and Greek homoeroticism, to a less formal education on the streets and in smoky taverns, from the gender-bending of the early comedies to the astonishingly queer literary scene that nurtured Shakespeare’s sonnets, this is a story of artistic development and of personal crisis.
Straight Acting is a surprising portrait of Shakespeare’s queer lives – his own and those in his plays and poems. It is a journey back in time and through Shakespeare’s England, revealing a culture that both endorsed and supressed same-sex desire. It is a call to stop making Shakespeare act straight and to recognise how queerness powerfully shaped the life and career of the world’s most famous playwright.
I listened to the audiobook on Spotify so I could get up to speed before attending the book tour with my bestie Jen @fae_princess_in_space.
It was fascinating to learn about queer history and homo-eroticism at the time of Shakespeare, especially seeing the other writers who influenced each other.
Hearing the author talk about their experience in writing the book added an extra layer of interest and helped me to understand how complex the idea of gender expression and queer desire was at the time.
Stay in the Light by A.M. Shine
After her terrifying experience at the hands of the Watchers, Mina has escaped to a cottage on the west coast of Ireland. She obsessively researches her former captors, desperate to find any way to prolong the safety of humankind.
When Mina encounters a stranger near her home, she fears the worst – for she knows the figure is not what it seems. Soon, people she has encountered start to disappear.
Mina knows the Watchers’ power is growing. She flees for her life, but when she reports her fears she finds her sanity questioned. Can she convince people that the Watchers are real, and ready to strike – or will she suffer the fate she has dreaded since she first encountered those malevolent beings?
“Stay in the Light” is the much-anticipated sequel to “The Watchers” by A.M. Shine and I have been desperately looking forward to reading this. **BRIEF SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE WATCHERS**
We return to Mina who is attempting to adjust to life following her narrow escape in the previous book. She is haunted by her time in the woods and lives in fear that something has followed her. Sean Kilmartin, son of the Professor, is determined to claim his legacy and has brought a team to excavate a system of tunnels leading beneath the Burren, not knowing what ancient horrors lurk within…
This sequel is just as gripping and beautifully written as the first novel. The descriptions took me right there to the Irish coast and set the tone for this modern gothic tale. Things start off at a slow burn before ramping up the pace and racing towards a devastating ending. It was great to return to some familiar characters and also learn more about the folklore; I am hooked on this series!
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the original book or movie version of The Watchers, as well as fans of gothic horror or dark fantasy.
ARC kindly sent by @netgalley and @headofzeus for review. All opinions are my own.
Worship Me by Craig Stewart
Something is listening to the prayers of St. Paul’s United Church, but it’s not the god they asked for; it’s something much, much older.
A quiet Sunday service turns into a living hell when this ancient entity descends upon the house of worship and claims the congregation for its own. The terrified churchgoers must now prove their loyalty to their new god by giving it one of their children or in two days time it will return and destroy them all.
As fear rips the congregation apart, it becomes clear that if they’re to survive this untold horror, the faithful must become the faithless and enter into a battle against God itself. But as time runs out, they discover that true monsters come not from heaven or hell…
…they come from within.
“Worship Me” follows the congregation of a small-town church who are tested to their limits by the arrival of an ancient God come to claim them as its new followers.
This book hit one of my favourite themes, featuring a group of people trapped in a single location. I found the storytelling really different to what I usually read as there was no main character POV, and instead we are given a good look at the complete cast of characters by an omniscient narrator. The POV switches rapidly as we see how the horrific events unfold to affect each individual in grim and gory detail.
It was interesting to read as a lifelong atheist and provoked a lot of introspective thoughts about what people value and the role that belief plays in the lives of people of faith. When there are impossible choices to be made, do morals outweigh reason? Do they transcend the connections of love and community? The narrative and dialogue created a tense atmosphere that explored the ways we react when in crisis – either sticking firmly to our previously held beliefs, or becoming changeable to adapt to the new scenario, clinging to the promise of safety for the sake of survival at any cost.
I loved how manipulative and two-faced the characters were. I loved the Old God and the backstory that is revealed towards the end. A lot of people die in this book – even when you think you have reached the end, it is not over yet! That said, I thought the final ending was very fitting and I enjoyed how things worked out.
Ebook kindly sent by @HellBoundbooks for review. All opinions are my own.
Okay Days by Jenny Mustard
Sam is 28, Swedish, carefree and chaotic. Doing a work placement in London over the course of three sticky summer months, she falls hard for Lucas, a man she first met as a teenager. Lucas, 27, sensitive and calm, is trying to get a start on adult life while struggling to hold the pieces of his life together. Sam is a gorgeous distraction. But you can only avoid reality for so long, and both Sam and Lucas know their relationship can’t last. Nobody can be this happy forever, surely?
Okay Days tells the story of the rise and fall of Sam and Lucas’s affection for each other, looks unflinchingly at male body dysmorphia and women’s reproductive rights, and the pitfalls of modern love. When is okay good enough? And what are we willing to lose in the search for a life that is much better than just okay?
I’ve been watching Jenny Mustard on YouTube for a few years now and, even though her book doesn’t fall within my usual genres, I really wanted to check it out and show some support for a creator that I enjoy. My local library had a copy of “Okay Days” available, so I picked it up to add to my summer months reading list.
“Okay Days” trades chapters back and forth between our two main characters, Sam and Luc, as they embark on their steamy summer romance. I actually loved the chemistry between Sam and Luc, they are both so lively and real. It felt somewhat like the author had passed some of the energy from herself and her partner into the characters and I was drawing parallels between Sam and Jenny, and Luc and David.
Each chapter counts down the time the couple have left together before they inevitably part ways and Sam leaves London to return to her home in Sweden. It was bittersweet seeing them choose each other knowing it would end, and I was hoping that somehow they would find a way to be together.
Getting to see the relationship from both sides gave me a fuller picture of what they are both thinking, how they are both feeling, and gave the insider view on any miscommunications. The side characters flit in and out of their stories and it was fun feel like I am getting the hottest gossip about them as the main characters discuss what their friends are getting up to.
This was a beautiful heart-warming read packed full of gorgeous descriptions that highlight the mundane and the passionate and the messy and the beautiful moments that occur in our everyday lives. A love story for the city as much as for the people that meet in it. Perfect summer reading!
DNF.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Ughhhhh, I feel like this is an unpopular view but I found the whole thing entirely impenetrable. The book begins with seemingly irrelevant stories, going on and on in wandering detail, and does not seem to get to the point or lead to any practical takeaways. I skimmed through numerous pages hoping to find something of value but could not get past the style and format.
The message and value got entirely lost in so many anecdotes and I could not connect to this type of non-fiction writing. This really wasn’t for me, and I had to give it up. I rarely DNF a book, but it did feel like a weight was lifted when I removed this from my Kindle library.
Abandon by Blake Crouch
I’ve read a few Blake Crouch sci-fi thrillers and most recently watched the Apple TV+ adaptation of “Dark Matter”, so was very much in the mood to try another one of his books. I picked Abandon and was expecting a supernatural thriller with some dark mystery at the core, but I truly could not get into it. The book is split into dual timelines and involved numerous characters in both. I couldn’t really keep up or connect with either of the timelines. The current timeline seems more like an action heist, and the past timeline seems sort of like a historical fiction Western.
None of it really appealed to me and I kept losing track of what was going on, which didn’t help. I had to “abandon” this one as I could not find it in me to listen for another 8+ hours to something that I wasn’t really enjoying.
August TBR.
- Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor ~ paperback from my bookshelf
- Smothermoss by Alisa Alering ~ paperback from my bookshelf
- Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas ~ ARC ebook
- The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey ~ paperback from my bookshelf
- Butter by Asako Yuzuki ~ audiobook from Spotify
- Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak ~ paperback from my bookshelf
Bookish socials
You can find me on the following platforms, posting about my reading goals and writing projects.
Goodreads @heartofhorrors
Instagram @heart_of_horrors
Storygraph @heartofhorrors
And all the rest via linktree @heartofhorrors
Let me know in the comments:
What is your most recent read?
What is on your TBR?
Have you read any of the books in my latest wrap-up?
