Book Lovers Chat - July 2024
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis
This voiceover is an audio version of my Slow Sunday Letter below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!
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Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.
It is our second Book Lovers Chat letter and I am so excited to jump in! I really hope you are enjoying our special monthly letters dedicated to books and reading, so please do let me know your thoughts, and if there is anything you would like to see included.
This month, read on for a guide to seasonal reading as well as my recent book reviews, new books on my book shelf and some future reads as we move into what will hopefully be a hot and sunny July!
Grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s settle down for a read together…
This post is too long to read in full in your email, but you can read it in its entirety on the Substack website or app so do click through! (video catch up is towards the end so don’t miss it!)
Your Guide To Seasonal Reading
Do you read seasonally? Do you like a holiday destination read in the summer, a spooky book in the autumn, a cosy Christmas themed book in the winter or a fantasy in the Spring?
Seasonal Reading is the practice of choosing your books to match the mood and vibes of the particular season you are in (Autumn, Winter, Summer and Spring). Some books lend themselves to a particular season quite obviously, and sometimes it is our moods within the season that make us reach for certain books or genres. For places around the world, that experience distinctive changes throughout all four seasons, this can really add a layer of immersive reading as your choices align with the time of year you are reading in. If you don’t - I think you can still enjoy seasonal reading - following themes and influences from your current season and how you feel during the year.
Seasonal Reading is entirely subjective and personal, and I love that you can really create a wonderful unique TBR list influenced by how you feel and interact with the seasons. Every reader will have a different idea of what seasonal reading looks like to them, and how different genres fit into each different seasons.
‘I like to travel in the summer, which is why I read’ anon
For many, Summer may encourage travel/beach reads, light romances, and modern fiction. For Autumn, readers may crave something spooky or paranormal, we may also gravitate towards cosy reads - think coffee shop vibes, cosy mysteries or thrillers.
Winter reading maybe centred around holiday reading, classic literature and Historical fiction. And Spring maybe the perfect season for nature books, fairy-tales, fantasy or books about new beginnings in new places.
One of the elements of seasonal reading I love the most is the planning, and taking the time to choose which season each book will fall into. There is no one right way of doing it and I love that, it feels like I am curating a living breathing list which ebbs and flows with the natural world and my moods and emotions. Sometimes it is obvious, like A Christmas Carol in the Winter, or Anne of Green Gables in the Spring. But other times, you just have to pick up on the vibe of a book or the feeling you get from it, and then place it where you see it fitting.
‘a novel is a living thing’ Henry James
I love how you get to take part in the story before you have even read it, giving it a backdrop through the season, which adds to the ambience and atmosphere of the book when you do open it up and start reading. It feels more alive, and more in line with my own emotions.
How to start Seasonal Reading
Start by looking at your current TBR list (or if you don’t have a list - go to your book shelf or local library and pick a couple of books to get you started), choose a few books that you think sit comfortably within a certain season. Try not to think about it too much, go with your instincts and remember your seasonal reading list is for you so it only has to make sense to you!
Re - order your TBR list according to the seasons - I add a column for the month and season and I play around with the order as I go through the list. Seasonal reading is entirely personal and you don’t have to fit every single book into this framework, just do what feels right and have fun. That is what reading is all about.
A snap shot of my Notion TBR List :
As you get more confident and at ease with being a seasonal reader, you’ll start to get a feeling with certain books, or at particular times of the year what will suit you when.
What’s your favourite season? Do you have any favourite seasonal reads?
My June Reads
(all my summaries and reviews will be spoiler free)
Run Rose Run - Dolly Parton and James Patterson
3 STARS
Every song tells a story.
She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her.
She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past.
Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.
My Thoughts:
I haven’t read a thriller in ages, and I was really looking forward to this one, as a big country music (and Dolly!) fan. Though predictable in parts - it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment. I really liked Rose - she was tough but sweet, and very easy to like and root for. I loved the shorter chapters and how fast paced the story was, I flew through it in a couple of days. I’ve never read a James Patterson book before, so I do wonder if I should try another - there appears to be PLENTY to choose from!
I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue
4 STARS
Would you want to know what your colleagues say behind your back?
Jolene certainly doesn’t.
She’s riddled with anxiety, depressed, and hates her co-workers. The less she knows about them, the better. So when a catastrophic IT f*ck up grants her access to all of their emails and private messages, she’s initially horrified. The last thing she wants is to be privy to their sad discussions about dying desk plants and marital troubles.
That’s until, with job cuts looming, she realises the power this new-found knowledge gives her.
But as she digs deeper and deeper into the private lives of her colleagues, Jolene uncovers a lot more than she bargained for… And the walls she’d so carefully built start crumbling down.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was really original and the closeness, pettiness, funny and sometimes awkward ‘office’ life is well portrayed. Jolene is a wonderful character, she was messy, and real. You felt her loneliness and disconnect at the start which made her story all the more compelling as she learns more about her colleagues, and then herself.
I thought the end felt a little rushed, and everything got wrapped up with a couple of conversations between key characters which felt a little too quick. But overall, I loved this read, it is an incredibly sensitive exploration of loneliness and the human side of making mistakes and wrong decisions. It reminds us all how little we really know about what is truly going on in people’s lives, and reminds us to have faith in kindness, asking for help and new beginnings.
You and Me On Vacation - Emily Henry
4 STARS
12 YEARS AGO: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they'll never speak again.
11 YEARS AGO: They're forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together.
10 YEARS AGO: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver.
Poppy holds his hand the whole way.
7 YEARS AGO: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans.
2 YEARS AGO: It all goes wrong.
THIS YEAR: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.
My Thoughts:
This novel is all about the characters, and both Poppy and Alex are so easy to love. The story is told from the perspective of Poppy in both the past and the present. Poppy is funny, kind and witty. I fell for Alex within the first page of his dialogue, he is quiet, humble and so caring. Their chemistry and dialogue radiates off the page, and I totally bought into their will they/won’t they story. A joy to read, and the perfect Summer book.
The Memo - Lauren Mechling and Rachel Dodes
3 STARS
Jenny Green is dreading her Class of 2007 reunion. While her friends are killing it, Jenny's promising career as an artisanal baker went up in flames (literally) and her deadbeat, commitment-phobe boyfriend is cheating on her with their swishy-ponytailed neighbour. She feels like she didn't get the memo... As it turns out, she didn't.
Begrudgingly back at university, she receives a text from an unlisted number: Jenny Green - please collect your memo. Hidden on her old campus is a secret female-led organisation providing memos to select students; blueprints for success.
The first time around, Jenny didn't receive hers. Now she's being given a second chance - the opportunity to rewrite her past, undo her worst mistakes and fix her mess of a life. But at what price?
My Thoughts:
After enjoying The Midnight Library by Matt Haig so much, this story line really intrigued me. The Memo is a unique, “sliding doors” style story that explores fate, ambition, friendships and the impact of the choices we all make in life - both big and small! The story was a little slow to get going, and I found some of the writing about what constitutes ‘failure’ vs. ‘success’ a little hard to stomach, but this could be because I don’t have a conventional mindset when it comes to ‘success’. It is a well rounded novel, that kept me interested throughout. There is a little romance, but honestly this book is more about self discovery and female relationships. I enjoyed this book a lot, but I can also see why this has ended up being a bit of a marmite book.
New On My Book Shelf
This month I have added these books to my bookshelf…
Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors
Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales - Angela Carter
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt
This Summer Will Be Different - Carley Fortune
Hello, from me…
Next Up on my TBR List
During the month of July, I am expecting full on sunshine and outdoor reading vibes! So I have saved a few typical Summer reads for this month.
Next up on my TBR list are:
The Dubrovnik Book Club - Eva Glyn
This Summer Will Be Different - Carley Fortune
I also leave some space for spontaneous choices, and library visits! Do join me again next month for all my reading in July!
Bookish Substacks I’ve enjoyed this month…
I hope you have enjoyed this months Book Lovers Chat! I honestly have the best fun putting this together! If you would like to see anything at all featured in Book Lovers Chat, please let me know as we grow this community together. I’ll be back at the beginning of next month with even more reading inspiration!
Please do share in the comments what you are currently reading!
I’d love to know if you have read any of the books we have discussed here, or if you have any recommendations this month to share!
Thank you for being here,
With Light & Love
Emily xxx
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I love reading seasonally! It really helps me immerse myself in the worlds 🤍
I recently finished the Dubrovnik Book Club and enjoyed it! It was my usual choice and it took me a while to get into, but the story was gripping.
What a lovely idea! I am an avid reader so will follow your recommendations with interest. I’m currently in the throes of reading everything I can on writing and creativity which I am finding inspiring and challenging all at once!