July 2024 -- MONTHLY WRAP UP

 

MONTHLY WRAP UP

July 2024

July was a blur. The month started well, with a super fun neighbor party at our house for Independence Day. But right after, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ordered supplemental briefing in the big Boy Scout bankruptcy case I'm working on. I spent the rest of the month feverishly pecking away at that brief and not paying attention to anything else. 

Even through the blur, I somehow managed to read 12 books, which surprised me.

See anything here you’ve read or want to? 

• Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh. This is the first book in Waugh's somewhat autobiographical Sword of Honor trilogy, based roughly on Waugh's service during WWII. It is less serious than his earlier satirical novels like Decline and Fall and Vile Bodies, but not as lyrical and contemplative as later books like Brideshead Revisited. I had a great time reading it with with a Waugh Together Now group on Instagram. It is also on my Classics Club II list. 

• The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett was a fun little bon bon about the Queen of England discovering her love of reading. It was a lot of fun, although not as delightful as I had anticipated. I think my expectations were too high. 

• Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope is the fourth book in his series of six Palliser Novels, also known as the Parliamentary Novels. It's wonderful to get caught up in Trollope's world where all the characters swirl around over the many volumes. 

• Out of the Shelter by David Lodge. I'm a big Lodge fan and this is his first book. It's the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story of a young man in post-war England who takes his first steps into adulthood during a holiday with his sister in Heidelberg where she works for the American army. It is a charming story. This was on my TBR 24 in '24 stack.

• The Dark Vineyard by Marin Walker. This is the second in his Bruno, Chief of Police series set in a small French village. Now that I wrapped up Louise Penny's Three Pines series and Ian Rankin's John Rebus series, I have time to tackle this one. 

• Unjust Debts: How Our Bankruptcy System Makes America More Unequal by Melissa Jacoby. This one was for work, obviously, but still fascinating. I was pleased as punch to see that she cites one of my briefs in the Boy Scout bankruptcy!

• Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. I am working away at all Greene's books. This one is so good but so sad.

• J by Howard Jacobson is an odd book. It is a story of dystopian antisemitism set in the not-so-distant future. It is excellent, but a little murky, and the ending disturbed me. I feel like I missed the significance of part of the ending. This was another TBR 24 in ’24 pick.

NOT PICTURED 

I also read a few books with my ears. I always have an audiobook going. 

• God in the Dock by C. S. Lewis is a collection of all his essays that had not been collected before. I read it as another Instagram group read as part of my effort to read all his books. His essays always make me think more deeply about my own faith. 

• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. This was my IRL book club pick last month and I loved it. It was my first McBride book but won’t be my last.

• Heat Wave by Penelope Lively. This is a novel about a mother watching her mistakes play out in her daughter's life. It was perfectly constructed, entertaining, moving, and startling. 

• Spook Street by Mick Herron, the fourth in his Slough House series. This is the other series I dove into after finishing the Penny and Rankin books. I absolutely love it, even more now that we started watching the TV series. I'm trying to stay ahead of the TV show with the books. 

How about you. Did you read anything outstanding last month?