1. Surgical ward 9 by Peyami Safa
2. They by Helle Helle 
3. Every Day I read by Hwang Bo-Reum
4. Diary of a Mad Old Man by Junichirō Tanizaki
5. The Thief and the dog by Naguib Mahfouz
6. Betty by Georges Simenon 
7. One Hand Clapping by Anthony Burgess 

I slowed down last month. Had a number of days off but managed 7 reviews, two new publishers with Thousand Horsemne Press, and the classic Surgical Ward 9, which captured a young man’s life in hospital as he struggled with Bone cancer. Then, after a long gap, the second book by Helle Helle came from Akoya. In fact, this also saw a hospital as part of the story. This time, it is a daughter looking after a sick mother. Then a book about Reading from Korea, a mad old man again in the hospital for part of the book.  A man goes out for revenge after he is released from prison, tries to get revenge on those that put him there, from a Nobel winner in Naguib Mahfouz, then a twisty dark tale from Georges Simenon for Club 1961 and then a lesser-known book from Anthony Burgess about a couple winning a lot of money on a quiz show with really hard literature questions.

Books of the month

iI I picked two books this month, both dealing with ill health. The first is from the point of view of a young man in a hospital falling for a slightly older girl who captures his eye as he struggles with his condition. Then a daughter has her life turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, and the life they had is flipped on its head. Told in HELLE helle sparse style, it’s like the Lego does what it needs to, you know what it is and needs no more than she has written.

Non-book events

Well it was Record store day another early start and a bag full of recordss but a while after two records really stand out the first is a full live show by Adrianne lenker fragile voice is at its most vunerable in this album then a record I hadn’t planned to get until the actual day Tanita Tikaram acoustic is just great her voice is still as erie and unusal as it was thirty plus year ago. We had a day in York last weekend, after Amanda had surgery this month, we needed a day out together. Yesterday we started watching the Apple series Widows Bay, a comedy-horror series with a slice of Stephen King, set on an island where the islanders think they are cursed in New England.

Month Ahead

I have seen on Instagram that there is an African reading month next month, and I will read a couple of books for this month, then I have long Admired how Simon at stuck in a book manages to review a Book a day every May, I have tried to do this a few times and failed so as my own challenge I have 14 days off this month including today I would like to publish 15-20 reviews next month I have a number of read and unreviewed books on the to be reviewed pile and a number of short books at hand to read. It is an idea for the month; it may help me get back to a blogging routine which disappeared last month. I am of the mind these days that I like the idea of doing something if I do it well and good, but it is the trying that often makes the thing worthwhile. What are your plans for Next Month?