The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

This was fine. I was underwhelmed considering how many people love this book. It came down to the lack of characterization and development. I did have some sympathy for Addie. Her character did not have many defining traits other than stubbornness though. There were too many flashback scenes that did not add much to her character or the plot so it dragged since this was over 440 pages. Maybe I expected a bit too much literary fiction from this fantasy and historical novel. The fantasy aspects were actually rather low and the evil Luc’s character arc was half-baked as well. Ending was decent but it did not wow me. Schwab can write, but I was not itching to read more from when I finished.

August 23-25, 2026.

Richard Scarry’s Fun With Words by Richard Scarry

This was a used book I got as a kid. I am not sure if it was a gift or bought at some sort of yard sale. It was not in good condition when I got it in the 90s and the spine has been further damaged by time. I have vivid memories of drawing lines in this book. I do not think I ever really read it in full. It is a dictionary of sorts so there is no story or plot. I have been meaning to read it for years. It was really lovely to look through the drawings and the various Richard Scarry characters. It has really held up well since for a book published in 1960. I considered donating the book but I like owning it too much so I am keeping it for now.

August 26-29, 2026.

French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David with Juliet Renny (Illustrator)

Continuing my cookbook reading, I read this classic from 1962. It was very nice but dense and slow. After awhile, I wanted to finish it before the month was over so I sped through the second half on the last weekend of August. The recipes used imperial measurements and I do not think I will make anything from this book. I like eating French cuisine but it’s one of the least favourite to try and cook due to the unctuous nature and processes. It was a good book. David had a very conversational tone and the historical information was interesting.

July 29-Aug 30, 2026.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 4 Volume 3 by Hikaru Katsuki, Miya Kazuki with quof (Translator)

I really like the mangaka of Part 4. I wonder who will do Part 5. Since it’s been a couple weeks since I read this, I do not remember much of what happens other than the exams and the start of the library arc. I love this series and it actually makes me want to read other manga.

August 30, 2026.

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

Superintendent Battle #1 1925. Back to a much earlier Christie and new series too. This was good. It was more of a political story with a bit of a treasure hunt. I generally am not a big fan of the more political or treasure hunt stories. The best parts of the book were the character types and the atmosphere of 1920s England.

August 24-31, 2026.

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney with Rebecca Romney (Narrator)

A well written and researched exploration of female authors that Jane Austen did and could have read. It was interesting to explore the lives and works of Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworth. It made me reflect on why some authors are left out of the classics canon and how male dominated publishing was in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a good feminist history of writing from this time period. I enjoyed Romney’s experience of reading from each of the authors and trying to collect rare editions. As a big reader especially of classics, I surprisingly do not have much interest in collecting old editions. I appreciated her expertise on the subject. I look forward to one day reading from at least couple of of the aforementioned writers. I listened to this completely on audiobook read well by the author. I did get the book from the library around the same time. There was a very good bibliography.

August 23-31, 2026.

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

A 1931 Agatha Christie standalone. I am noting the years now as we are going through a lot of her oeuvre which covered more than five decades. After the midwinter one, I wanted to continue with the cold theme. This novel was set in a snow storm and featured a very plucky heroine named Emily Trefusis. It leant gothic in a very good way and it was enjoyable watching Emily try to work out the mystery. As usual, Fraser was fantastic.

August 9-17, 2026.

Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris (Narrator)

I held off on these diaries because I was not sure if I would like Sedaris’s more random musings especially considering how long these diary collections are (14 hours for this one). I found it hard to listen to most of the book especially the 1970s and the 1980s. Society was more openly misgoynistic, homophobic, and racist. Sedaris was using a lot of drugs and was depressed for some of this earlier period as well. I started to enjoy things more when he met his life partner Hugh and they moved to France. I will continue with the next volume since he became a tad more lighthearted.

August 13-22, 2026.

The House by Paco Roca with Andrea Rosenberg (Translator)

A reflective graphic novel about three siblings who return to their Dad’s cottage after his passing. Meditation on grief, ageing, and the usual family dynamics and quirks. I am not sure why but sometimes I could not always follow the flow of the panels as easily. Another person in my book club felt the same way.

August 22, 2026.

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

Poirot #36 1969. We noticed the time shift from the last 1931 Christie to this one. This is the latest of the Christie novels we’ve read together. There were differences in thinking about gender, mental illness and criminology between the novels. As this book’s victim was a child, the whole tone of the book was rather dark. We found it a tad slow and overwritten until the ending. There were too many characters and details. The ending was great as usual and one twist made us gasp. It was over the top and I can see how other people would hate it. We do like books when they add in a little melodrama. Overall, the novel was not enjoyable as other Christie’s.

August 18-23, 2026.

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong (Narrator)

Another interesting and well narrated science book by Ed Yong. This was even better than I Contain Multitudes and had tons of interesting animal and insect facts. It was fascinating to read about how other creatures on this planet perceive and sense the world. It reminded me how different and in some ways limited human beings can be. Great book for walks, chores, and gardening.

July 24-Aug 10, 2026.

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

A really well done historical, literary novel. It even had a believable and character driven sapphic romance at the centre. I liked the motif with hares which reminded me of another favourite book Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. There was a significant theme about property and possession of items especially after trauma. I found it absorbing and moving how it explored Eva’s relationship with her childhood home and things. I meditate on the relationship between humans and stuff all the time, and this novel explored it in a meaningful way. Great debut.

August 6-11, 2026.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie with David Suchet (Narrator) (Hercule Poirot #10)

Reread. My partner had not read this but he had watched the most recent movie adaptation but forgot the ending. As I’ve watched a few adaptations and read this, I remembered the plot and twists well. What surprised me was how I enjoyed it less than the previous Poirot novels. I gave it 5 stars back in 2019 which seemed very high to me. Now that I’ve read more Christie, this was good but not as well written or as well paced as the others. Still a unique and good twist.

July 19-26, 2026.

The Hollow by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #25)

This was my bedtime reading at first but it took me awhile to get into it. Christie spent more than usual time on the victim. He’s not that likeable as he cheats on his wife and seems to be want his mistress to only think about him. There were also less likeable or dull characters. One of the characters has a form of ADHD was I found amusing considering how classic and well done the portrayal was. Disappointingly, Poirot does not show up for 60 pages and was not in this mystery much at all. The writing was decent as usual and I liked the small romance subplot.

July 18-26, 2026.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga): Part 4 Volume 2 by Hikaru Katsuki, Miya Kazuki, Quof (Translator)

It’s always good to go back to this series. I am trying not to catch up too quickly. Part 4 of this series is one of the best ones so it was fun to see the illustrations. I adore Rozemyne. I am glad I got some merch from this series when I was in Japan.

July 28, 2026.

First Crush by Cassandra Calin

Graphic novels and manga are a great way for me to read during the work week. I really like Calin’s illustration and story telling style. This was middle grade so a lot of the themes are far removed from my own life. I do think Calin captured the doubt and intensity of being a preteen. I liked the diversity cast of the characters as well.

July 31, 2026.