What I read last month (August)...

Hi everyone. Apologies for the missing blog posts on Saturday and Sunday (yesterday), that I said I would publish. The laptop has been playing up and I have only just been able to get it going again today. I will publish my one bonus blog post along with the one for today so enjoy a double treat!

Now last month, I read a good mix of stuff. Let us get into some of the things I have been reading.


1: Online articles.

I know that you cannot trust everything you read online. However for me, I like to check things I read. With me, I never take something at face value. Anyway, online articles often appear and some draw me in. If I see something about a political figure whether it's someone who's over publicised/talked about such as Nigel Farage or someone who does not get enough media coverage such as Zarah Sultana. People who know me, know I like to take an interest in politics because if like some people, I pretend we live in a land of fairies then the country could crumble without me being aware of it happening! I think it is good to be aware of what is happening.


2: 'A Family Supper' (1983) by Kazuo Ishiguro.

As Kazuo Ishiguro was author of the month, I decided to read his short story 'A Family Supper'. You can read my review I posted at the beginning of August to see what I truly thought of it...


3: My French... Again...

If you have been reading my blog for a little while now or you personally know me then you will be aware that I learn French every day. I complete listening tasks, speaking tasks, typing tasks (as a opposed to writing) and reading tasks. There are always new words to learn which is fun. Sometimes things can get harder than usual and I have forgotten French words before. Still I am on my way to my ultimate target of 1000 days of learning my French. It is ambitious but I am getting there! Slowly...


4: Rosewater (2023) by Liv Little.

Liv Little's debut and only novel caught my eye in a cool book shop in Brighton where the books are all £5 or less. I always have a rummage whenever I hit Brighton. It is on my way from the laines to my favourite shop ever - T. K. Maxx. That bookshop has some great books (this story is for another time) and this was one of them.


5: 'Summer After the War' (1983-7) by Kazuo Ishiguro.

As I continued reading through some Kazuo Ishiguro in August, I came to his short story 'Summer After the War' (1983). I read this and to find out what I really thought, you can read the review of it on my blog from last month.


6: Racism!

I read comments on social media and quotes of corrupt, tax avoiding, abortion loathing MPs that are obviously racism. As far as I am concerned: black people, Muslims, white people, brown people, Hindus etc... are all welcome! I do not care what someone's ethnicity, race or religion is! (he same also applies to ANYONE from ANY part of the LGBTQIA+ community, ALL women INCLUDING trans women and ALL disabled people, regardless.)

I do not care what country someone is from. If immigrants pay their taxes and super rich politicians avoid paying taxes then it's the politicians. People in the United Kingdom need to stop scapegoating and trying to target immigrants or trans people for instance.


7: The Gourmet (1987) by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Next up I arrived at Kazuo Ishiguro's screenplay The Gourmet (1987). I read this and published a review halfway through the month so you can take a look if you want my thoughts on it.


8: Facebook and Instagram.

I often scroll through and read stuff on these two, because as once read on a post - fighting the good fight or something similar. Anyway, I like to keep connected to those who do keep in contact and those I really want to be connected to still!


9: The Remains of the Day (1989) by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I continued my reading and reviewing for works by author of the month, Kazuo Ishiguro. As August went on, I decided I would read his bestseller The Remains of the Day from 1989. Considering this has been considered a loved classic, I thought it was only fair to share my opinions on it. Do read my blog post and see how much I loved it.


10: 'A Village After Dark' (2001) by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Picture this, the month of August is ending. But I have not had enough of Kazuo Ishiguro and his work yet! I thought I would read something shorter after having devoured his 1989 novel The Remains of the Day; enter stage right his 2001 short story 'A Village After Dark'. I ended August with a review of this short story so check it out to see how it faired alongside the others.


People, that is some stuff that I have read throughout August just gone. I hope this gave you an interesting glimpse. Keep an eye out for this month's little list of things I have been reading, especially now we move into a new theme of the month.


Until next time,


Thomas.

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