As I reported last week, reading books by women in translation was something I wanted to do this summer, and I did it! Four of those were in August, plus one by a man in translation (I had been confused), and three mysteries. I do seem to gravitate to those in the summer.

What I read this monthTemple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba – Women in Translation A House without Mirrors by Marten Sanden The Zig Zag Girl by Elly GriffithsThe Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths Murder by the Book , edited by Martin EdwardsThe Ingenious Language by Andrea Marcolongo – Women in TranslationBarbara Isn’t Dying by Alina Bronsky – Women in Translation A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery – Women in TranslationHow one book leads to another

Last month, I had a moment of Book Serendipity when I closed Magpie Murders and picked up Storybook Ending – which starts out with a character putting a note into a copy of Magpie Murders she’s dropping off at her favorite bookstore, hoping a particular bookseller will find it.

At the end of the book, one character recommends The Stranger Diaries to another, and I thought I might as well follow up with that. I actually tried a couple of books by Elly Griffiths, and enjoyed them both, so was glad to have been introduced to a new author by chance.

Have you experienced such chains of happenstance in your reading?

Currently reading

After loving Kitchen Table Wisdom some years ago, I don’t know why I waited to long to read Rachel Naomi Remen’s follow-up, My Grandfather’s Blessings, but I’m glad to be reading it now. Full of pithy wisdom drawn from real life and deep feeling, I could read such “little stories” forever. They model the kind of person I would like to be, and I don’t think I can praise a book more highly than that.

Sacred Reading

Speaking of books as food for life, this month also saw my experiment in exploring reading as a sacred practice, as I offered free online meetings each day for a week. It was a wonderful experience, and I am continuing with less-frequent offerings, as well as a podcast for those who can’t attend in person – see the Sacred Reading page for details. It would be lovely to have more friends join us!

On the blog On the Matterhorn Trail , in which I visited one of Switzerland’s major tourist attractions Women in Translation and Ten Books of Summer , a review of summer reading

What’s on your shelf this month?

Linked at The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, the Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, and the Monthly Wrap-up Round-up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction