Mid-Year Reading Check-In: Some Favourites and Hotly Anticipated

Hello! I’m Bob, and now that we’re at the midpoint of the year, I wanted to look back over some books I’ve loved, and some others I’m excited for!
00:00 Introduction and Books I’ve Loved So Far
05:23 Upcoming Books I’m Excited For
Books Mentioned:
Jennifer Croft- The Extinction of Irena Rey
Rónán Hession- Ghost Mountain
Laura Pawson- Spent Light
Ali Smith- Gliff
Han Smith- Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking
Rebecca Watson- I Will Crash
Alexis Wright- Praiseworthy
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[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

A new Ali Smith is always something to celebrate.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Yes! It should be a national holiday!

[@TheLeniverse]

Glad to see these mid-year update videos still coming out. There was a flood of them in early June, and I was like "We're not halfway through the year yet!!!" 😅 Also, I still haven't made mine. 🤪

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahah yes! Where has the time gone?!

[@hannahlosttheplot]

100% agree with you about the joy of reading Ali Smith. I also loved Little Scratch and can't wait to get my hands on I Will Crash!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Oh it’s an intriguing book- I hope you like it!

[@lindysmagpiereads]

I’m very excited about Ali Smith’s new book! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[@BobTheBookerer]

I’m so excited for it!

[@bmaei5]

New releases. I read the new translation of Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, translated by Douglas J Weatherford, and enjoyed it. A man goes looking for the father who abandoned him and probably finds out more than he wanted to know. Loved Spent Light. The possessions you own, their past history, and then your history with them. Just started After World by Debbie Urbanski and enjoying it immensely. Sen Anon chronicles her days and waits for a digital afterlife.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ooh, I haven’t heard of those two- thank you!

[@deegrows7589]

Two books I recently read and loved - The Mermaid of Black Conch and Leonard and Hungry Paul. I look forward to reading Ghost Mountain because I love how Hession writes! Next up is Small Joys.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ooh, yes! Both such fantastic books!

[@benreadsgood]

The Han Smith one sounds really interesting - will be looking forward to your thoughts on that one! And Spent Light is one I’ve thumbed in a bookshop a few times, so if you love it that might be my impetus to pick it up… 👀 Hope the brain is back to full strength soon, Bob! 🧠

[@BobTheBookerer]

Yes! So excited for the weird and wonderful books out at the moment!

[@janeshuttleworth5563]

I know you loved the Night Alphabet so if these three are better then I must read them!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Oh yes! I really should have carved out a space for that on this list!

[@ianp9086]

I have all three of those on my shelf and hope to get to them later this year! I am just getting to James at the moment. I agreed with everything you said about Ali Smith and can’t wait for a new one from her!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Every release of Ali Smith is a cause for celebration!

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

I may now be sold on at least trying Praiseworthy. I keep looking at it at the library!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Aha, I could talk about it for hours! I hope you like it if you do read it!

[@GeraldineRowe]

My favourite read of the year so far is Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, although there are plenty of other recent releases which come not far behind. My best surprise read was Two Years Before the Mast by Henry Richard Dana, a telling of the author's time aboard a ship sailing round South America to California when it was still part of Mexico (pre-Goldrush). Not normally my kind of thing, but I read it with Google Maps open beside me and found the descriptions absolutely fascinating.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Oh I really want to read Glorious Exploits! And Two Years sounds amazing! Thanks for the heads-up!

[@rudy679]

'It's not a race but, you know...' Bob being in a race with himself. 😅

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahaha, why do I always do this to myself 😂

[@rudy679]

@@BobTheBookerer you love books too much

[@BobTheBookerer]

@@rudy679 aha, it’s a gift and a curse 😂

[@Showmeyourshelfie]

Praiseworthy is next on my TBR and I'm looking forward to it. I just finished a fun Indigo press book called Boy with a Black Rooster. Its set in the middle ages and written like a Hams Christian Anderson tale in novel form for adults. It's everything I had hoped Tyll would be. I think Tyll might have more to say about German identity but this little lovely book was a lot more fun. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your reaction to the Booker announcement later this month.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ooh, I really wanted to read Black Rooster! It sounds incredible!

[@readandre-read]

I am determined to get to Ghost Mountain this month or next. Your other top 2 sound really interesting as well. My standouts so far include James, Blackouts, Long Island and All My Puny Sorrows.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Oh I loved it so much! And ooh, those are great standouts!

[@janethansen9612]

I am still plodding my way through Praiseworthy. Over 5OO pages now, but can only manage a few pages a day. It is so dense I am struggling but determined to finish. On the side I'm reading Parade by Rachel Cusk but finding it a bit confusing. At least it's a short book and I'll be finished with it in the next day or so. Hopefully the next book I pick up will be more engaging.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Aha, yes! I agree with that about Parade! I enjoyed it but don’t know what I read.

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

All the books on your list are books I haven’t read. Ghost Mountain sounds great. I may be the only person who didn’t find Leonard & Hungry Paul funny. I had 16 5 star books in the first 4 months of this year. May and June had one 4 star. My reading has been not great since May. The weather is truly awful here. It’s more like winter. For example the long range forecast says it will be only 6 degrees on Friday. Rain, rain and more rain. It’s very depressing. Best books so far Enter Ghost Brotherless Night Greta& Valdin Hello Beautiful Tom Lake Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Haworth ( brilliant debut ☘️) Service by Sarah Gilmartin ☘️ Solider Sailor Ordinary Human Failings How To Build A Boat The Caretaker by Ron Rash Bandit Queens North Woods Strong Female Character by Fern Brady Fayne by AnnMarie MacDonald Stone Yard Devotional by Charolette Wood ☘️👋🍀📕📚📖☕️🤗

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ooh, those are some fantastic books! And yes! I thought Sunburn was so well done!

[@ameliareads589]

What is the German book you are looking forward to? 😉

[@BobTheBookerer]

Aha, I actually can’t remember now, but looking at my shelves, it’s probably either something by Erpenbeck or Saša Stanišić, who I’ve been meaning to read for ages!