I’ve got through a lot of books this year, but I haven’t had time to review them all properly. I may have to start looking at doing something a bit different on that front. Seeing as we’re enjoying a proper actual heatwave (by UK standards) I’m not going to promise to stay home more blogging, I’m going to get out there and enjoy it, but I want to keep the blog alive too. I’ll figure something out. Fellow bloggers: do you find it harder to keep up with it all in the summer months?

As this is the year’s halfway point, it’s a good time to take stock as regards my reading aims and challenges. I’ve read 21 books by men, 17 by women and 1 by both. Not too far off even. I’ve read a reasonable mix of genres and ages of books. However, the actual challenges I took on were the Classics Club – for which I have read four books – and more books in translation. I’ve read five books in translation and one about translation, which is reasonable, I think.

But right now I’m not trying too hard to meet challenges or read the right books. I just want to enjoy reading. Which seems a good summery aim to me.

Books read in May

Esperanza Street by Niyati Keni (review)

Outline by Rachel Cusk (review)

Reader for Hire by Raymond Jean (review)

Lost in Translation by Ella Frances Sanders (review)

Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (review)

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Ex Machina, vol 4: March to War by Brian K Vaughan, Tony Harris, Tom Feister, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story and JD Mettler

Ex Machina, vol 5: Smoke, Smoke by Brian K Vaughan, Tony Harris, Tom Feister and JD Mettler

Books read in June

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber (review)

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

Don’t Try This at Home by Angela Readman

Hawkeye, vol 3: LA Woman by Matt Fraction and Annie Wu

Ex Machina, vol 6: Power Down by Brian K Vaughan and Tony Harris

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter