July - This Month in Reading

Well, July didn't exactly turn out to be a big reading month for me yet again. This summer has been one of my worst overall so far. At the end of June, my goals were: 

-Clear up the NetGalley books I need to read/review

-Do 1 foreign language book

-Do 1 reread

I did manage to clear up most of my NetGalley/review books, and do a reread, but still didn't manage a foreign language book, which is disappointing. I'm not sure why either - but in general my reading motivation has been low for some reason. Maybe it's the heat and humidity, maybe it's some other things that are taking away my focus, but I do hope it changes and I get some momentum back. 

Since things are not shaping up as I hoped, I will keep the same goals for August. Thank goodness fall is coming up soon, maybe I can get some momentum back! 

How is your summer reading shaping up? 

July Reread - Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde

Finally got back to re-reading this series, which is a favorite of mine. Fforde's writing is so literate and witty and it's such a pleasure to read. As a bookworm, I love that this alternate universe is so reverent of reading and classic literature. Highly recommended.

Time Heals No Wounds - Hendrik Falkenberg

FTC Compliance Statement: I received a free, time-limited electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review, which is provided below. I have not been otherwise compensated for this review in any way and my opinion is my own.

As an avid reader, it's hard to pass up an interesting-looking mystery novel, and I couldn't resist the description of this book, which turned out to be quite the page turner! The plot kept me guessing and the main character was likable; I would love to read more of his adventures. This is a great summer/beach read. Recommended.

Winemaker Detective Mysteries - An Omnibus - Jean-Pierre Alaux, Noël Balen

FTC Compliance Statement: I received a free, time-limited electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review, which is provided below. I have not been otherwise compensated for this review in any way and my opinion is my own. 

As longtime readers may know,  I love a good series, but I am fanatical about reading a series in order. So this collection, which includes the first 3 books in the Winemaker Detective Series, looked like the perfect way to start something new. And it was - I have a new favorite series to look forward to devouring!

The stories in this collection were quick reads with enjoyable mysteries and of course, the French wine country settings. You can learn quite a bit about wine, as it's an integral part of the story. The characters are nicely drawn and I look forward to reading more about them in the next books in the series. The translation is very well done and is a pleasure to read. The only "drawback" to these books was that they made me long for a wonderful French meal with a wonderful French wine to accompany it - does anyone live as well as the French? All in all this is a great series. Highly recommended.

The Jolly Coroner - Quentin Canterel

FTC Compliance Statement: I received a free, time-limited electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review, which is provided below. I have not been otherwise compensated for this review in any way and my opinion is my own. 

Could not resist the description of this book when I saw it in a NetGalley email. I have some disjointed thoughts that I will present as my review:

If you'll forgive me for bragging for a moment, I like to think I have a pretty good vocabulary, but this book sometimes read as if it had been written with liberal use of the Oxford English Dictionary and a thick thesaurus, with a plethora of words too big to be called 25 cent words - maybe 75 cent words? It was like reading something by Martin Amis. I used context clues a lot because I was too lazy to use a dictionary myself.

The titular character reminded me of Ignatius J. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces - I wonder if that is deliberate? I liked some of the funnier elements of this character.

The author did a nice job of tying together some disparate story elements, and I would have liked to know a bit more about a couple of them. One in particular needed a better resolution because I feel really sorry for the character!

I found the love story in the book a little puzzling; I can see why the male character is interested in the female character, but not the reverse - so I wouldn't have minded a bit more about why she became enamored of him.

All in all this was a much quicker read than I anticipated and it's definitely a very unpredictable and surprising tale.