August reads

1. I love India Knight's books, and Mutton was no exception. A welcome return to Clara Hutt, who we were first introduced to in 199 My Life On A Plate. Now 46 and worrying about her sagging eyelids, how to satisfy her "rampant horn", and the return of her previously plain-Jane, now glamour-puss friend Gaby, Clara's exploits are never short of hysterical: I honked with laughter several times. I especially enjoyed the admittedly silly but fun Game Of Thrones-esque subplot involving a fantasy novel author. 

2. Pretty Things was my latest Sarra Manning read.  Brie, Charlie, Walker and Daisy are spending their summer holidays taking part in a production of The Taming Of The Shrew and - in typical Manning fashion - they quickly become embroiled in various romances of both the gay and straight varieties.  I enjoyed it, although not as much as Adorkable, which I also reread this month and still loved.

3. And speaking of Game Of Thrones, this month I was working my way through book two: A Clash Of Kings.  Still brilliant, still compulsive.  I love this series, and am trying to read slowly so I can savour every detail.  I've just started book three so shhh, no spoilers please.

4. Occupy!  Scenes From Occupied America has been on my bookshelf for well over a year waiting to be read, and I'm so glad I finally got round to it.  It's a kind of oral history/diary of the occupations - mainly NYC but also Oakland, Atlanta, Boston and Philadelphia - and was a fascinating read.  Ultimately, though, I found it a little depressing; to think that so much of the excitement and enthusiasm of the Occupy movement of 2011 seems to have disappeared.

5. Click is a collection of essays by women about the when, why and where they became feminists.  It's an interesting book to dip in and out of, and it definitely got me thinking about my own story (mmm, anyone sense an upcoming blogpost?!), but it's very US-centric: while a variety of ethnicities are represented, every essay is by an American writer.