Books I Read in July 2026

As we wave goodbye to July, I am looking back at the books I have read this month. It has been a good month for reading. I guess the heatwaves we've been experiencing have meant that some days it has been too hot to do anything but sit and read.

How has your reading been this month?

 Mothertongue by Alex Morgan

This memoir by autistic author, Alex Morgan was a 5 star read for me. You can read my full review by clicking here.

The Santorini Writing Retreat by Eva Glyn

I enjoyed reading this so much and the review will be up as soon as I can find a gap in the blog diary. It loosely follows on her previous book, The Dubrovnik Book Club, and you can find the review here.

House of Twisted Shadows by J.H. Mann

This book is an exciting story which I enjoyed reading. You can read my full review by clicking here.

The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous

This was a wonderful book to read and I enjoyed every page. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Indie in Disguise by Katie Clapham

This is a delightful book aimed at both girls and boys who enjoy imaginative play. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Wedded to Her Enemy Knight by Lissa Morgan

Lissa Morgan is my favourite author of this type of historical fiction. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Be Patient by Tilly Rose

This is a memoir which is well worth reading. The review will be coming very soon.

Fiona and the Forgotten Piano by Kate DeMaio

This is a lovely middle grade novel which I enjoyed reading and is about an eleven year old girl who hates her piano lessons. You can read my full review by clicking here.

The Anniversary by Andrea Bajani

This slim book of just 144 pages is quite remarkable. Translated from Italian by Geoffrey Brock, it tells the story of the narrator's estrangement from his parents. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Vengeance is Mine by Michael Wood

I highly recommend this for lovers of mystery/thrillers. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

This was a wonderful book to read and my review will be up very soon.

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

I finished this one late last night so no review up as yet. It was a fun read which I enjoyed.

(all opinions are my own)

The Youngster by Bibi Berki - #bookreview

From a distance. they could have been the same age. Two older women, sitting on a park bench on an overcast late winter morning...

The Blurb

Georgie and her mother Cherry have had their ups and downs. But now they're devoted to each other – and when Cherry learns that she’s in the early stages of dementia, Georgie is with her every step of the way…

…Until she can't be. And that's when he steps into her mother's life. The one who's been waiting, watching, whispering.

In turns deeply moving and deeply chilling, The Youngster is about one woman's spiralling descent when her mother is taken away from her by a damaged younger man.

My Review

This was a tense book to read, and it had me holding my breath at times.

The book begins with the main character, Georgie, feeling unwell as she sits on a park bench with her mother, Cherry, who has recently been diagnosed with dementia. They have a close relationship, and through Georgie's thoughts and reminiscences, we learn that Cherry has been a charismatic woman, who is feisty and very much knows her own mind.

When Georgie's illness turns into covid at an early point in the lockdown process, she is hospitalised and is very ill, leaving Cherry with no one to care for her. At least, this is Georgie's supposition when she is conscious but nothing could be further from the truth. The titular Youngster, has insinuated himself into Cherry's life and erected a barrier between her and her daughter. 

This made for fabulous reading. It was an utterly believable scenario and made for compelling reading. I could not put it down and I felt very invested in the story line.

The author wrote with authenticity of the empty streets during lockdown, along with the claustrophobic atmosphere of those who were locked inside within their bubbles. However, the thing that she accomplished so well was the gradual shift from dread and suspicion to Georgie's absolute horror of this man who she realises is coercively controlling her mother. What begins with the shock of her illness develops into something far more sinister with Cherry and the man she dubbed "The Youngster." 

There were points at which I questioned the reliability of Georgie as a narrator. She is frequently confused following her illness. Could she equally be confused concerning her mother's situation?

This is an outstanding book. It oozes with tension. The author has written very skillfully and laid out her story in a way which was engaging and edgy.  I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller written with literary style. If you want a book which will get under your skin, then this is the book for you.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1917090094

Publisher:  Deixis Press

Formats: e-book, hardcover and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  274 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Deixix Press

Blackwell's

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Bibi Berki is the author of novels, articles and podcasts, including psychological thrillers The Youngster and The Watch, and the film history series, The Kiss – The Women who made a Movie Masterpiece. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, and contributes to many sites and publications.

Bibi is based in South East London, where many of her stories are set. She is also the co-founder of Tempest Productions, which makes original audio stories.

You can also find Bibi at:

Author Website

X

Instagram

Linked In

(ARC courtesy of the publicist)

(author photo and bio courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

A Midlife Gamble by Cary J. Hansson - #BookReview

 

So now you know the full truth of it. And that makes a grand total of five. I haven't told Helen. I've left that with Caro because it means they'll have to talk to each other. Things haven't been good between them since we got back from Cyprus, but that's a long story. My worry is that they're both Alex's godmothers, and if they're not even talking to each other, I don't know how they're going to be able to help him when ...

***

A terrifying future. Fragile forgiveness. Can three good friends rebuild their connection from the wreckage of burned bridges?

Helen Winters can’t ignore the ache in her heart. With one beloved friend facing a shocking diagnosis and the other still walking on eggshells after their blowout fight, the bubbly fifty-year-old craves the lost comfort of their familiar dynamic. So when someone suggests a trio of tickets to Vegas, the determined woman hopes the trip will rescue their decades-long friendship.

Landing in Sin City, Helen struggles to reclaim her devil-may-care university spirit. And as everyone plays their cards close to their vest and tries to make it alone, she worries that time is running out for reconciliation.

Will laughter, tears, and shared vulnerabilities help them salvage their lifelong bond?

***

This book is the third in the Midlife Trilogy. It begins with A Midlife Holiday, and you can read my review by clicking here. It is followed by A Midlife Baby and my review can be found here.

This book is every bit as good as it predecessors and I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to spend more time with Caro, Helen and Kay. Now in their late fifties, they have been close friends since university, and one of the things that this book looks at is what happens when a fracture appears in such a friendship.

Although this book is the third in the trilogy, it would work as a stand alone novel. However, I think a reader will enjoy it more by understanding the backstory behind these three women and the way in which their friendship has evolved over the years. 

At times it was humourous read. At other times it was emotional which has probably come from spending three books with these characters. The author totally understands and inhabits these women and consequently, the reader becomes totally invested in them. 

I do not want to give the ending away but I was a little concerned that the book would end on a depressing theme. However, the book was life-affirming and hopeful and my fears were unfounded.

As with the previous two books I enjoyed reading this very much and highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 9198758771

Publisher:  Hansson Publishing

Formats:  e-book and paperback - currently available on Kindle Unlimited

No. of Pages:  324 (paperback)

About the Author:

Cary grew up in the UK, but now lives in Sweden. After a varied career that saw her tap-dancing in musicals and selling towels on shopping channels, she settled down to write contemporary fiction. She swims in the Baltic all year round, stands on her head once a day and prefers Merlot over Shiraz.

(ARC courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro - #BookReview

 

"When we were new, Rosa and I were mid-store, on the magazines table side, and could see through more than half of the window. So we were able to watch the outside - the office workers hurrying by, the taxis, the runners, the tourists, Beggar Man and his dog, the lower part of the RPO Building. Once we were more settled, Manager allowed us to walk up to the front until we were right behind the window display, and then we could see how tall the RPO Building was. And if we were there at just the right time, we would see the Sun on his journey, crossing between the building tops from our side over to the RPO Building side."

From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

***

This highly original and exceptional read was given to me as a gift for Mother's Day when we celebrated it in March. I was not sure what to expect of it, as I never do with Ishiguro, but I enjoyed it very much.

The unusual narrative is told by Klara who is known throughout the book as an AF (artificial friend). We follow her story from the start of her 'life' in a shop through to her latter days. It provides the reader with an indication as to how a subsequent time could evolve if we fully embrace the use of artificial intelligence in order to provide companionship as well as technological and practical tasks.

Klara has a clear voice throughout the novel and I found her to be an endearing character. Her willingness to learn and understand how the humans around her interact was excellently portrayed. For all of her technological advances she had a naivety that ensured she was a very special protagonist. 

I have read other books by Mr. Isiguro and they are all written with a touching understatement and Klara and the Sun is no exception to this. The narrative is tenderly expressed and, thus, was a joy to read.

I highly recommend this book and would welcome your thoughts.

ISBN:  978 0571264879

Publisher: Faber

About the Author:

Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His eight previous works of fiction have earned him many honours around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into over fifty languages and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both made into acclaimed films, have sold over a million copies each in Faber editions.

He was given a knighthood in 2018 for Services to Literature. He also holds the decorations of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japan.