#20 Books of Summer and July Wrap-up

July has come to an end and it is time for a wrap-up. July is, like November, a busy month with several challenges. This year I participate in Paris in July, 20 Books of Summer and Big Book Summer Challenge. They do overlap here and there.

I have read 8 books in July, making it 17 books for the 20 Books of Summer. I am very happy about that, although not all of the books come from my original pile. Since I am travelling, it is easier to read on my i-pad, even if I did take a few physical books with me.

I am currently reading Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks (from my pile) and Svartfågel by Frida Skybäck (a thriller set in my region). I hope to be able to finish the last one today.

Books read in July

Frälsarkransen by Kristina Ohlsson

The 5th book in an excellent thrller series, set on the west coast of Sweden, north of Gothenburg. Murder cases based on great stories, and we get to meet all the wonderful people in this small village. I hope there will be a 6th book.

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

The is one of the side stories of Gabaldon's Outlander series. As usual it is a pleasure to read her boooks. Filled with history and great characters. Excitement from beginning to the end. I still have to read her 9th book in the series. I have waited a while to read it, to keep the story hidden a little bit longer. But, this book made me long for it. I better read it soon, since I think her 10th book might be out soon.

De utvalda by Helena Kubicek Boye

Another Swedish thriller set in the city where I live. Kubicek Boye has written several thriller series, but this is the first one I have read. I am waiting for the second installement, because this was another good story and mystery.

"A well-known Malmö profile is found murdered in the elevator of a newly built apartment building in Västra hamnen. He has a strange burn wound over his mouth. Martin “Gulte” Guldström from the Malmö police’s special crime unit is one of the first on the scene, and what initially appears to be a derailed conflict between two neighbors soon turns out to be something much bigger."

Truls Reimer is an obnoxious police from Stockholm, transferred to Malmö due to co-operation problems. Psychologist Kattis Olsson had to resign a post as profiler due to family situation. Alongside solving the crime, Reimer and Olsson have to find a way to work together with the people in the police precinct. A little bit of unusual story as characters are concern, and the murder case itself takes several turn before it is solved.

Lagom finns bara i Sverige, och andra myter om språk by Mikael Parkvall (NF)

Mikael Parkvall is a linguist and looks at myths in our language. The title is, in my translation, "Lagom you only find in Sweden ...". Lagom is a word meaning "not too much, not too little, just right" and is a popular word in Swedish. I think we are sometimes called "Landet lagom" ("The Country Lagom"). Interesting aspects on languages and where they come from.

De som färdas om natten (La viajera nocturna/The Night Travellers) by Armando Lucas Correa

I loved Lucas Correa's book "The German Girl" and when I found this one in the sales, I grabbed it and it does not disappoint.

The Night Travellers is a historical novel that spans generations, exploring the lasting effects of war, racism, and displacement. The story begins in Nazi Germany and follows Ally Keller, a German woman who gives birth to a mixed-race daughter, Lilith, in 1931. As racial laws tighten, Ally must protect Lilith from persecution, ultimately sending her to Cuba for safety.

The narrative continues through several generations of women—Lilith, Nadine, and Luna—each shaped by the trauma of exile, dictatorship, and identity loss. From Berlin to Havana, New York, and back to Europe, the novel reflects on how the past travels with us. It's a deeply emotional tale of survival, sacrifice, and the enduring bonds of family, making me cry floods at the end of the story.

Beastly things by Donna Leon

Another novel by Donna Leon since I am aiming in reading all her books. I find though that now, when I have reached her 20th + books, the stories are not always as great as they were in the beginning of the series.

"When the body of a man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Commissario Guido Brunetti has little to work with. No local has filed a missing-person report, and no hotel guests have disappeared. With Inspector Vianello, Brunetti canvasses shoe stores, and winds up on the mainland in Mestre, outside his usual sphere, where they learn that the man had a kindly way with animals."

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by david sedaris (NF)

I think David Sedaris does not need a closer introduction. In this book he looks at his childhood, family and relationships, and it is, as always, a pleasure and fun to read.