tea in the cloister

What a terrible month in books. I didn’t want to read. I abandoned as many books in June as in the six months previous. And I still can’t get into anything. TBR lists, recommendations, forgotten volumes from my shelf. Nothing works.

Nevertheless...

Books Bought

Do the Monsters Inc. books I bought as party favours count?

Books Read

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff - Revelation by C.J. Sansom - Brief Candle In The Dark by Richard Dawkins - Untitled by Anonymous - History’s People by Margaret MacMillan - The 20th Century by John Higgs - Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

What I did manage to finish included some real gems, including three advance copies of books I’ve looked forward to for a long, long time. One of which I’ve specifically been told not to review, tweet, or post about.

Meanwhile, The 20th Century was just what I needed to get through the month. Breezy, informative, and perfect for the non non-fiction lover. It’s a mind-bending take on the century most of us were born in. A book where Richard Dawkins and Pope Benedict XVI agree on the same page while the quirky, the outrageous, and unbelievable all get thrown at you. But, astoundingly, it makes sense in the end. One big idea about how all our ideas fell apart and all in little vignettes that keep you going. Perfect for the Bill Bryson reader. And the book I’ve most enjoyed in some time.

84, Charing Cross Road was a real find. Except I didn’t find it. But I read it twice and it’s the type of book that I’m just not forgetting. The whole thing is a collection of letters between bookloving New Yorker Helene Hanff and her stuffy, British booksellers. It’s what that relationship should look like in every bookstore. But I’d suggest skipping the film adaption starring Anthony Hopkins with its over dramatic musical score.

Yes. An empty bedside table with no books on it.

I’ve abandoned all (but one) of the books I was reading. They’re all good books. But...

I’m in a total reading slump. I too quickly had to read too many books for work which broke my flow. I kept falling asleep on subways, chairs, and beds while reading. There was a lot of life happening that crushed my attention span.

So I it was only fair on the books to cut them loose. And come back to them later in life when I could give them the love and attention they deserve.

The TBR pile is getting a little out of hand.

Think the Middle Ages produced nothing but endless copies of religious sermons, psalms, and saints-lives? Add these five famous (and less famous) items to your TBR list.

The Canterbury Tales: how did you forget this fourteenth-century collection of misfits with their domestic problems?

Piers Plowman: the less well known fourteenth-century allegory that’s almost proto-Marxist.

Beowulf: the epic epic full of warriors, drinking, and monsters.

The Song Of Roland: Ridley Scott’s Gladiator battles have nothing on this eight-century brawl - there’s even an olifant.

The Exeter Riddles: not just any jokes, but some pretty explicit innuendo.

Arrived from a mysterious unknown sender: Untitled by Anonymous marked “Confidential - No quoting, tweeting for now. Thx”.

Brazenly stealing a friend’s idea is always acceptable. Besides, I think she may have stolen it herself.

Books Bought

Against Love by Laura Kipnis - The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware (turns out I owned it already) - From Memory To Written Record by MT Clanchy - The Study Of The Bible In The Middle Ages by Beryl Smalley

Books Read

Sovereign by CJ Sansom - Missoula by Jon Krakauer - What’s Happened To Politics by Bob Rae - In The Skin Of A Jihadist by Anna Erelle - The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida - The Shadow Of The Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto - Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari - Church Of Marvels by Leslie Parry - The Nest by Kenneth Oppel - Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Obviously the books I bought, and hope to open one day, are more ambitious than the eclectic mix I actually read. And these books were a mix of lucky finds, recommendations, and one or two for work rather than a coherent programme of reading.

I acquire and read so many books for work and for pleasure that, I admit, they can blur together. I pretty much default to three-star rankings. If you manage to get edited and published these days, it’s pretty hard to deliver a truly awful book. Though they do exist and I suffered a couple this month (whose titles I must diplomatically avoid).

But a few books always manage to sucker-punch you, which you remember a few days later. And then talk about. And proceed to force on your friends. The Shadow Of The Crescent Moon is one of these. I’ve described it as “Three hours. Three brothers. Tribal Pakistan.” The story unravels from there, spilling out its secrets before twisting them all back together in unexpected, spellbinding ways. I will re-read it before the end of the year.

Furiously Happy had me furiously laughing. At an airport gate. In front of security. Who let me onto the plane where I’m sure I was of concern to fellow inmates. But who cares? That’s what confined spaces are for, right?

And now the upcoming fall season is upon us, with its trove of excellent advance copies starting to arrive at the office. I can barely stack my to-be-read pile within its allotted shelf space. Only some revived Tetris skills keep it under control.

...had tea in The Cloisters at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York City.

And it was glorious.

A very scientific Buzzfeed quiz suggested this as my summer read.

Ok.

Three hours will changes three brothers’ lives.

Habits are great. They’re the reason you stagger into the bathroom at dark-o-clock, shower, shave, and brush your teeth before realizing it’s Saturday instead of a workday.

A good friend has mastered good habits on her blog. And while I’d like to read more of her work (hint, hint), she ALWAYS reviews her reading monthly.

So it’s time to take inspiration and set a simple schedule.

Habit 1: Shamelessly imitate her and review every month’s reading.

Habit 2: Monday is now #MedievalMonday. Turns out other medievalists out there have already thought of this, so I’m not alone.

Habit 3: #FridayReads. No long words. Just quick snaps of books being read. Let’s unleash the power of that iPhone camera.