So the big day is finally here. The kids are back at school tomorrow. After 7 weeks “off” school, with 5 of those being a trip to the seaside and the rest made up of me doing some work in between feeding them regularly, I’m hoping to take a few days off this month and give myself a mini home made reading retreat. And having 6 hours uninterrupted silence. The stuff dreams are made off.

So what will I be able to potentially read? Here’s what arrived last month to bolster the TBR.

1. Black Widows by Cate Quinn, sent for review by Orion.
2. Growing Up by Angela Thirkell, sent for review by Virago.
3. The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor, my first purchase in August.
4. Somewhere Close to Happy by Lia Louis, also part of my first purchase of August.
5. The Truth Will Out by Jane Isaac, the third book in my first purchase of August (if you buy three at once it only counts as one).
6. The Betrayals by Bridget Collins, sent for review by Borough Press.
7. Cracked by Louise McCreesh, sent for review by Hodder & Stoughton.
8. A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington, sent for review by Quercus. You can read my review here.
9. The Wolf Road by Richard Lambert.
10. Inside the Beautiful Inside by Emily Bullock, sent for review with the last book by Everything With Words.
11. Snooze by Eilidh Muldoon.
12. One Button Benny and the Gigantic Catastrophe by Alan Windram, sent for review with the last book by Little Doors.
13. Cover Your Tracks by Claire Askew, sent for review by Hodder & Stoughton.
14. The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett, sent for review by Zaffre.
15. Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R Lorac, sent for review by the British Library.
16. If I Could Say Goodbye by Emma Cooper, sent for review by Headline.
17. The Gospel of Eels by Patrik Svensson, sent for review by Picador.
18. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, a purchase from Berts Books.
19. How to Marry Your Husband by Jacqueline Rohen, another purchase from Berts Books. You can read a Q&A with Jacqueline here. Jacqueline sadly died the day before her book was published in ebook. I had promised myself I would buy a paperback once it was released and I had to honour that promise.
20. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, a bonus free book from Berts Books as part of their first birthday celebrations.
21. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton, sent for review by Bloomsbury Raven.
22. Love Orange by Natasha Randall, sent for review by Quercus.
23. People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd, sent for review by Mantle.

Here’s what I read this month.

1. The Search Party by Simon Lelic. You can read my review here.
2. Reasons to Be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe. You can read my review here.
3. Frankisstein by Jeanette Winterson.
4. The Blessed Girl by Angela Makholwa.
5. Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R. Lorac

I also gave three books to my cousin. So 23 in and 8 out. No way I can even pretend that balances. I have a feeling next month will be a more close run thing. What did you read this month? Do let me know.