Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel book cover
Oh dear, oh dear. I have been a very bad book blogger, a very bad book blogger indeed. Promises were made, reviews promised. But naught has been delivered. Ok, not naught, two reviews have been delivered, and an interview, oh and a lovely great big competition too (the blog's first). But nevertheless I have failed you all miserably and delivered neither a review of The Help, or more significantly Bleak House; books which I have read, but not yet collected my thoughts about sufficiently to churn out passable reviews. Before I fall symbolically on my own sword, or you stone me down your wi-fi, let me first apologise (a) for being preposterously melodramatic and (b) for being a right lazy toerag this month. Normal order shall be resumed I assure you.

Ok, so now that we're all on speaking terms again, shall we have a little look at July? Firstly, I shall do my very best to offer up reviews of the two afore-mentioned long-runners at one point or another - my delay has been as much based on my complex feelings towards both books as anything else, and I don't want to fire anything off until I have formulated a firm and defendable position on each.

I think we'll make my book for the month Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, which is of course the author's sequel to her booker-prize-winning and quite wonderful Wolf Hall. Not being the greatest historical-fiction fan, I very much hope that the appeal of this new book will once again transcend its genre.

Based on the workload I have carried over from last month, I'm only going to attempt to get through two other books this month. Firstly, I'm going to give Martin Amis's The Information a whirl, and secondly, Alan Lightman's Mr g. The former is an exploration of middle-aged angst and literary-jealousy, the latter is a novel about creation. Food for thought in both cases then. 
 
So, that's July planned out. Resolve stiffened I shall do my best to deliver. Encouragement, chastisement, or general love are welcomed in the comments below...

Notable Posts from April 
Interview: Tanya Kirk
Review: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson