My Year in Books 2024: July

Time for my mini-reviews of the books I read in July. Only two books on this month's list, I'm afraid, but in case you're interested, here are my review posts from the rest of the year so far: January, February, March, April, May, June

Death by Laura Thalassa (2021)

In May, I posted about the first three books in Laura Thalassa’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse erotic romance series. You may remember, it was a bit of a revelation for me (pun intended). I loved the first three books, particularly Famine, and I was planning to wait to read the final one. I didn’t actually wait that long in the end. Death is, as I expected, a bonkers thing of beauty. The final horseman – the one we’ve been told is the worst of the four, and a ‘dour asshole’ (quote from Famine) – arrives on earth to make the Last Judgement. But Death isn’t quite the creature we’ve been led to expect. Yes, he’s terrifying. But he’s also the embodiment of the concept of Death, so his very existence is intricately connected to life. He’s also really sexy, of course, but why wouldn’t he be? Death is at once foreboding, apocalyptic, noble, melancholy, lonely and horny. And when he meets Lazarus, a woman who for some reason cannot die, he begins (of course) to question his purpose. I loved this one – Death is surprisingly easy to fall in love with, for all his utter oddity. But my favourite thing was when a familiar trio turned up to try and thwart their brother’s plans. I genuinely gave a little squeal when Famine arrived with characteristic drama. Which was embarrassing, as I was reading the book on the tram at the time. I can’t explain it, but I genuinely love this series.

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry (2024)

The next book was one of the novels included in a recent Abominable Books box. The blurb sounded right up my street. Harry is a single mum who gets a job cleaning for Javier Castillo, a reclusive horror film director who lives an isolated life in his Chicago mansion. The house is filled with horror memorabilia, including props from Castillo’s own films. However, there is also a cloud of mystery around the director’s retreat from Hollywood and the nature of the scandal that led to it. When Castillo encourages a more social relationship, inviting Harry and her son Gabe to dinner at his house, it starts to become clear that there may be another presence in the mansion, and Harry starts to become anxious about her and her son’s safety. The set-up for this one is really great, and the titular house is atmospheric and evocative. Harry is a well-drawn character, and her reasons for staying in a job that is both demanding and kinda creepy are plausible. However, the book runs out of steam in the final third, and the pacing starts to go off as we move towards the conclusion. The problem is that the mystery just can’t be sustained. Castillo’s retreat from Hollywood happened just a few years before the book begins, so it’s a matter of a simple internet search to uncover the scandal. From there, it’s fairly easy to work out what might be going on, and the book tumbles towards a rather abrupt ending.

Lammas: Day 7

It's the final day of our Lammas celebrations this year. We were both at work, so we didn't have big celebrations planned. Instead, I spent the day enjoying some of the seasonal foods I bought from Bury Market yesterday.

Wimberry Pie

I took a wimberry pie into work today to share with my colleagues. It went down really well!

Crusty Cob

Lunch was a very nice crusty cob from the market, filled with Wensleydale with pineapple.

Corn on the Cob and Baklava

And tea was some lovely corn on the cob, followed by baklava (is that seasonal? it's definitely delicious).


And so the wheel of the year turns. We'll be celebrating again at the Autumn Equinox.

Lammas: Day 6

It's the sixth day of our Lammas celebrations - the penultimate day, but as we're both at work tomorrow, it's the big one for us (the night when we have our festive dinner together).

Bury Market

Today started with a trip to Bury Market with my mother-in-law. Lammas is a harvest celebration, so it feels right to have a trip to the market.

Market Lunch

We bought lots of nice things at the market, some of which we had today. Lunch was cheese and onion pie, followed by cannoli.

Castlerea Lammas Stories

I was at Castlerea Care Home for a little seasonal celebration with the housemates. I read some seasonal poems, including 'Corn Rigs' by Robert Burns, and we listened to some seasonal music, including 'The Combine Harvester Song' by The Wurzels. We also had muffins, jammy joeys, cherry squash and lots of good conversation.

Lammas Dinner

Tonight was our big festive dinner. Rob made his signature seasonal dish, Lammas Surprise, and we had wimberry pie from Bury Market for pudding.

Children of the Corn

We watched our seasonal film of choice this evening... Children of the Corn!

Lammas Gifts

After dinner, we swapped Lammas cards and gifts. As is tradition, we bought each other seasonally inspired whiskies that we'll add to the tasting sets to enjoy in December.

Lammas: Day 5

Another day of celebrating the season. I was at work today, and then out in the woods for a seasonal walk. Not a bad way to enjoy the high point of summer!

Ginger Bread Tea Break

Little tea break, finishing off the Elizabeth Botham's Whitby Ginger Heritage Loaf!

Bailey’s Wood Lammas Walk

After work, I led a Lammas Walk in the Woods for Friends of Bailey's Wood. We talked about bindweed, ragwort, butterflies and John Barleycorn. In fact, we talked about John Barleycorn a lot. Even though we were celebrating the high point of summer, nature's cycle never ends, so we finished the walk by looking for the early signs that summer will, eventually, give way to autumn.

Lammas: Day 4

Another day of celebrating Lammas, and the high point of summer. I'm still buried in my big summer project, so we didn't have time for a lot of festivities (that's harvest for you). But I did lead a lovely community walk in the evening.

Late Summer Walk in the Park

I led a Late Summer Walk in the Park for Friends of Crumpsall Park this evening. We talked about the season, folklore and nature, picking grasses and flowers. The weather was gorgeous as well.

Events in August 2024

Walk in the Woods with Woodland Friends
Wednesday 7th August
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle walk in the woods with a fun woodland craft activity
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 18th August
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Walk in the Woods - My Bailey's Wood Journey
Wednesday 21st August
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle walk in the woods with a fun woodland art activity
Booking Link

Park Write - Place Writing
Saturday 24th August
2.00–5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'll be running a creative writing workshop in the park with a place writing theme
Booking Link

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Lammas: Day 3

Another day of celebrating Lammas, the beginning of the harvest season. As I said in a previous post, I'm honouring the season by working very hard on a new project that I'm hoping will be up-and-running by the autumn. It's sort of like a metaphorical harvest season for me, so I spent today focusing on what needs to be done instead of any wild festivities.

Ginger Loaf

We did have time for a nice seasonal treat though... some Elizabeth Botham's Whitby Heritage Ginger Loaf, which we bought on our big North Yorkshire holiday in June to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

Lammas: Day 2

A bit more Lammas-y fun today, on the second day of our annual seasonal celebrations.

Breakfast in the Woods

Cinnamon swirl in Bailey's Wood for breakfast!

Litter-Pick in the Woods

It was the monthly Friends of Bailey's Wood litter-pick in the woods this morning. Not strictly speaking a seasonal thing, but I took the opportunity to enjoy the many late summer flowers (which are already attracting plenty of butterflies).

Hannah’s Bookshelf Lammas Special

This afternoon was the Hannah's Bookshelf Lammas Special on North Manchester FM. I played a few seasonal songs, and some Lammas-themed flash fiction from nine fantastic writers. And then we had scones and Welsh cakes at the studio to celebrate!

Lammas: Day 1

It's the first day of our Lammas celebrations! Things might be a bit different this year, as I've decided to honour the start of the harvest season by taking on a big new project that will take a lot of work. I just hope if I work hard enough on it over summer, it'll be enough to see me through the winter.

Cinnamon Rolls

As it's the start of the grain harvest, it's important to celebrate with lots of bread and pastry (of course). I'm starting the season with some mini cinnamon rolls!

Hot Buttered Bread Wax Melts

We lit our diffuser tonight with the most seasonal wax melts we could find... Hot Buttered Bread!

My Year in Books 2024: June

Time for my list of the books I read for pleasure in June. It's not my longest list, but not my shortest either. And I really liked almost of all them!

In case you're curious, here are my posts from the rest of the year so far: January, February, March, April, May

A Very English Deceit by Malcolm Balen (2009)

We were on holiday for the first couple of weeks in June, and I read a few books while we were away. We were staying in various places around North Yorkshire, and one of the places we stayed was a Landmark Trust property, built in the 1760s, that had once belonged to William Aislabie. His father was John Aislabie, the Chancellor of the Exchequer who presided over the South Sea Bubble. There was a copy of Balen’s book in the cottage, so I felt like I had to read it! I loved this book for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it helped me feel immersed in eighteenth-century history and the background of the place we were staying. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, it’s a really fun read. The story of the rampant corruption, deception and fraud perpetrated during the South Sea Bubble is almost unbelievable (or, sadly, maybe it’s actually completely believable), and it requires you to understand a bit about the social and economic circumstances of the early eighteenth century (mostly in England, but you also need to understand a bit about Scotland and France). This isn’t a period of history most people know much about – it falls between the big ‘eras’ that people know from school or popular culture. Balen tells the story with energy and humour, carrying you along with the narrative, but also giving the right amount of background information. It’s a bit mind-blowing, but it also explains a lot about modern British politics and economics.

A Death at Fountains Abbey by Antonia Hodgson (2016)

I bought this on a whim in a charity shop in Ripon, just before we went to the Landmark Trust property. I spied the name ‘Aislabie’ in the blurb, and I vaguely remembered that was the surname of the man who built the cottage we were going to. Little did I know that I was about to get temporarily obsessed with Aislabie history! I read this alongside Balen’s book about the South Sea Bubble, which was a mad experience. Hodgson’s novel is a (fictional) murder mystery, set in the 1720s on the estate of John Aislabie, who’s a central character in the story. Hodgson does a great job of making Aislabie unsympathetic (because of his role in ruining so many lives), but also sympathetic (because he’s a human being, who lost his wife and child in a fire). I’m not usually a fan of historical fiction, but I definitely enjoyed this one. Reading a non-fiction book alongside it meant I could see how much research Hodgson had done, but she uses this lightly so it doesn’t bog the story down. This is actually the third book in a series about Thomas Hawkins, a roguish investigator (of sorts), and his girlfriend Kitty. Tom is employed by Aislabie to deal with death threats he’s received at his estate at Studley Royal. But then… things escalate and a body is found. Never mind the history, I absolutely fell in love with Tom and Kitty, and I want to read more of their adventures!

The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joël Dicker (2018)

Hmmm… now something a bit different (and not in a good way). I actually started this one before I read the previous two books. It was a library book that I took on holiday, as it was supposed to be a gripping murder mystery. ‘Gripping’ is not the right word for this one. I struggled through about two-thirds of it while we were in Whitby, more out of stubbornness than anything else. The story’s premise is that, in 1994 four people are murdered in a small town. The police solve the crime, but twenty years later, a journalist (Stephanie Mailer) starts to reinvestigate the case. And then she goes missing, and the original detectives have to accept that they may have made a mistake. This is a premise that sounds like something I’d enjoy. However, the execution left a lot to be desired. The dialogue is incredibly stilted – almost amateurish. At first, I put this down to the fact that I was reading the book in translation, but I quickly became disabused of this. The characters’ motivations and behaviours didn’t make any sense, and the plot is a strange mixture of convoluted and shallow. I’m not even sure why I finished this one, as I found that I really didn’t care about finding out who did the murders and why (and the Stephanie Mailer storyline really wasn’t a central part of the plot in the end). This was a really frustrating book to read, and not one that I’d recommend.

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North (2016)

Another library book I took on holiday, but one that was a lot more enjoyable than the previous book. I’ve read a few of North’s books, so I had an idea what I was getting into with this one. Hope Arden, the main character and narrator, is a girl with a difference. People can’t remember her. That doesn’t mean she’s a bit bland and anonymous – they literally can’t remember her, and that includes her parents. People can spend time with Hope, get to know her, even be intimate with her, but as soon as she’s out of sight, she’s literally out of mind. As a young woman, Hope feels she has no choice but to turn to crime as a way to survive. Her ‘gift’ makes her very good at committing crimes, which is lucky because it stops her doing anything else with her life. Within a few years, Hope is a jet-setting, international thief, flitting from one glamorous location to another in search of bigger and better prizes (and, of course, survival). This brings her into contact with Perfection, a sinister, secretive high-end lifestyle app that’s aiming for market dominance in the creepiest possible way. What follows is partly a thriller (and a gripping one), and partly an exploration of identity and human connection. As with North’s other books, this one is pretty brutal in places, and heart-breaking in others. I think, of all her characters, I found Hope the most sympathetic and likable. I really enjoyed this one!

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (2024)

I got really excited about this one, as I didn’t know it was coming out. I loved Foley’s first two mystery novels (though I didn’t enjoy the third quite as much). But what really excited me was that this is a book set at the Summer Solstice that was published in time for the Solstice. Publishing isn’t usually as seasonal as that! I read this one at Midsummer, of course. As with Foley’s first two novels, this is a murder mystery set at a fancy holiday resort. In this case, it’s a luxury woodland wellness retreat, run by Francesca Meadows and her architect husband Owen Dacre. The retreat is due to open at the Summer Solstice, with a grand gathering of rich guests, potential investors and (of course) social media influencers. Among the guests is Bella, a woman who looks the part but doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the guests. And among the staff are Eddie and Michelle, two locals who have decided to work at Francesca’s retreat, despite the fact that its construction and opening has mostly faced opposition from the local community. The story jumps back and forth between the events of the Solstice and its aftermath, when the police arrive to investigate a body on the beach. As with The Hunting Party and The Guest List, readers are left guessing as to the identity of the victim, as well as the culprit. I really enjoyed this one, and it was perfect to read at Midsummer.

Events in July 2024

Park Write - Nature Writing
Saturday 20th July
2.00–5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'll be running a creative writing workshop in the park with a nature writing theme
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 21st July
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Hannah's Bookshelf Lammas Special
Saturday 27th July
2.00–4.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf / North Manchester FM
I'm hosting a special seasonal edition of my regular radio show on North Manchester FM, including Summer Solstice-themed flash fiction
Submission Link

Late Summer Walk in the Park
Monday 29th July
6.00–7.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the park to enjoy nature and the changing seasons
Booking Link

Lammas Walk in the Woods
Tuesday 30th July
6.30–7.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Lammas Stories
Wednesday 31st July
2.00–4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.