Four Behind Schedule

I now find myself four books behind schedule in the 2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge. 

What should I do? Change my goal or plug on? I am now ignoring longer books in an effort to catch up thereby denying myself some very good reading experiences. I've also read a couple of titles that aren't in the Goodreads database. I submit their bibliographic details to the volunteer librarians but they are overwhelmed with requests. As a former librarian I could perhaps apply to become one of these volunteers and add those missing titles to the catalogue.

We've still five months of the year remaining so I'll try to read more (and pull back on my French lessons?) and assess the situation again in September.

My Books Read in July

Of the eight books I attempted in July my standout was A Mudlarking Year by Lara Maiklin. I have been following Lara on Facebook for several years and have been captivated by her adventures on the Thames. From the book I not only learnt about Laura's personal life and history, I gained an insight into London lives in earlier times.

I love detective/murder/thriller novels so was pleased to read my first book, Nowhere to be Found by Louisa Scarr, it won't be my last. I'll also seek out more titles by Sarah Clutton, it was interesting to see the use of DNA in the story.

While I was looking forward to Noni Hazlehurst's biography I found it tedious. I read 47% of this book and now have an understanding of Noni's views on politics and the environment. While the people and places in this work are familiar I just didn't have the commitment to read all the fine details of Noni's professional engagements.  I kept on thinking if the book was another performance by an accomplished actor,. It was a Did not Finish.