A selection of quotes and pictures to represent July’s reading:
commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.
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We salvage what we can, what truly matters to us, even at the gates of despair.
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (1984)
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Self portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi
One thought crosses Orazio’s mind as he takes in his surroundings at the Palazzo Conscente. Wealth may enable a man to acquire beautiful things but good taste cannot be bought.
Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle (2023)
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She was approaching a new land, and she would go ashore. She wanted to be alone. She would probably cry at the sheer beauty of the dream come true. She felt that she would enjoy that cry enormously, and that she would not be able to indulge it comfortably if someone were with her. She had that beautiful feeling that you get when you are in the middle of a very sad but fascinating book, which you are convinced will reduce you to pleasurable tears.
Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom (1934)
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The Witchfinder General, from a broadside published by Matthew Hopkins before 1650.
Faith was different. Hers was not like other people’s. It had some basic defect, its restless inner needle always roving, from conviction to disbelief to shame and round again, moved about by some unseen current, the source of which she didn’t know. Mam had always said to pay no heed to how it worked; where the needle came to rest was a matter twixt a woman and her soul. In the end it was deeds that counted.
The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer (2023)
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That meant that I could choose any I wished. Not that it could be better than my real name, but it was interesting to think what I would call myself. The problem was that once you had a name, even if it was the most terrible one in the world, it belonged to you. And often it was the first thing that people would know about you. So to try and unstick yourself from whatever it was was far more difficult than it sounded.
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker (2023)
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Favourite book read in July:
Wonder Cruise
Authors read for the first time in July:
Ursula Bloom, Margaret Meyer, Harry Whittaker
Places visited in my July reading:
Fictional world of Fionavar, England, Italy, Malta, France, Germany, Norway, Siberia
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Reading notes: I only managed to read another five books from my 20 Books of Summer list this month, but one of them (Atlas) was so long it felt like the equivalent of two normal sized books! I’ll see how many more I can read from my list in August but I think 15 is a more realistic target now than all 20.
What have you been reading in July? Do you have any plans for August?
She Reads Novels 
I always find your Commonplace Book intriguing. Me? I’ve been to Germany (Jenny Erpenbeck); Greece (Natalie Haynes); France (Patrick Modiano); France and England (Alice Winn); New Zealand (Eleanor Catton); America ( Patrick de Witt); all round the world (Mark Cocker); all round Europe (Ben Macintyre); Japan (Nick Bradley) and Ireland (Caroline O’Donoghue). Oooh. That’s quite a lot, isn’t it? I hadn’t realised.
That’s an impressive list, particularly all round the world and all round Europe. Well done!
I quite impressed myself actually!
Your Bloom review definitely sold me on the appeal of the book, even if I’m unsure I’d ever get around to it, but one never knows. My August reading will include the end of Villette, the first in a Robertson Davies trilogy and, who knows, a return to Middlemarch. Wish me luck!
I hope you enjoy your August reading! I’m planning to get back to Robertson Davies after 20 Books of Summer is over.
This month’s winner is Wonder Cruise! Which adds to the temptation I felt when you reviewed it…
There were lots of great quotes in that book. Some are more quotable than others, I find, although it doesn’t necessarily reflect on the quality of the book.
Hi Helen,
you mention Lucinda Riley. We met her several times as she lived not far from us.
Her books are ChickLit. We could only read some 20 pages of one of her books.
We read in July
Sally Magnusson ‘The Sealwoman’s Gift’
Andrew Miller ‘Pure’
Audrey Niffenegger ‘Her Fearful Symmetry’
Ian McEwan ‘Lessons’
Andrea Camilleri ‘Ricardino’
We enjoyed all these books except McEwan’s novel. We think he can do better. We found this novel quite boring.
Being an author our dear Master is a professional reader. He get the books send from his editor and his agent. Therefore we don’t know what we’ll read next.
Thanks & cheers
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
I like Lucinda Riley, but I understand that not everyone does. Of the books you read in July, I have read and enjoyed The Sealwoman’s Gift and Pure, but haven’t read the others. Have a good August!
Thank you.
A happy August for you as well
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Dear Helen,
wishing you a happy August as well
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Helen, what a lot of travelling you have been doing in your reading?! I travelled to the Agatean Empire on the Discworld in July (Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett) and now I am residing in a crumbling castle in Suffolk (I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith). 😊
Well, I have to admit some of the books I read were set in more than one country! The Agatean Empire and the crumbling castle are two very different, but equally intriguing settings. 🙂
I await to see what you thought of the final Lucinda Riley novel. I am aiming to start The Missing Sister whilst I am off work for my 3 week break.
I enjoyed Atlas and you’ll be pleased to know that it does finally provide some answers! The Missing Sister is great – I hope you’re able to read it soon.