Here we are another (late) monthly update and 2020 continues in its… 2020 fashion. I’m finding it hard to come up with adjectives anymore. I’ve finished my first intense session at university and I escaped into books this month, too. As you’ll discover.

I’ll start with science fiction classic Dune by Frank Herbert, one of my ‘one day I’ll catch up with it’ books – although I Admit that anticipation over the upcoming movie shot it to the top of my priority list, as I’m a fan of director Denis Villeneuve and the cast is top-notch. I wasn’t disappointed; the world-building is terrific. I bought-in to the political machinations and various methods of assassination as different families fought for control over the planet of Arrakis and its precious spice.

Next up came Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (note: I listened to the audiobook version read by Stanley Tucci). It is full of dark irony and observations on society that still feel relevant forty years after it was first published.

The Erratics by Vicki Laveau-Harvie won the 2019 Stella Prize and I admit to having borrowed a physical copy from the library but returned it before I had a chance to read it. This time I listened to Laveau-Harvie narrating the audiobook and I’m pleased I ended up experiencing it this way because I felt a deeper connection to her Story. It’s stayed with me since; I keep thinking about it.

Finally, I come to The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, a publishing success story amidst the recent lockdowns and the implications they have had on the industry. It has one of the best straplines I can remember in a while: “In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.” Clever! Sign me up for that story! I’m only partway through and it is charming so far.

What are you reading at the moment?