Wrap Up: July 2026

Hi everyone

July has flown by, and I can’t believe we’re already halfway through our children’s summer vacation. The last week of July we spent at home, with some small trips, some tinkering around the house and garden, lots of playing, puzzeling and reading. And now we’re on holiday! With both our daughters celebrating their birthdays in August, we have a lot of fun lined up so plenty of reasons to enjoy our time together.

I read a lot in July, so here’s the list of books I finished:

- Stephen Baxter & Alastair Reynolds: The Medusa Chronicles  

- Robin Hobb: Blood of Dragons 

- Richard Osman: The Thursday Murder Club 

- Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Before the Coffee gets Cold  

- Sue Johnson: Hold Me Tight

- James S. A. Corey: Memory's Legion 

- Neil Gaiman: Norse Mythology  

- Jen Williams: The Poison Song

- Rivers Solomon: The Deep

And I had to DNF one book: 

- Richard Matheson: Hell House

I’d love to hear from you: How was your July in books? Did you discover a new favorite, or did you struggle to finish anything? Let me know; I’m always excited to hear your recommendations and thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Richard Osman: The Thursday Murder Club

Hi everyone

The Thursday Murder Club is the first book in Richard Osman's series Thursday Murder Club. I read this on my e-reader. 

"In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?" 

This was such a fun, delightful, entertaining, uplifting, and lovely story.

Make no mistake: the focus of this book is not the murder mystery; it’s the characters. The mystery itself is nicely done, and I didn’t guess how it would end, but the characters are where Richard Osman truly shines. They are all so lovely, larger-than-life, hilarious, tragic at times, and utterly charming.
It’s not realistic; the characters can be a bit one-dimensional, and it’s definitely not a serious book. But I really enjoyed the typical English humor that runs through it.

I did feel like the chapters were too short (on average, about 3 pages). The frequent switching of POV sometimes made me feel disconnected from the story and it really cut the flow of the storytelling.

Despite that, The Thursday Murder Club was a joy to read. It’s lighthearted, witty, and full of heart so perfect for when you need a pick-me-up. I will definitely continue the series.

Have you read The Thursday Murder Club? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena