What I read this year (August)

37. Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (finished August 4). In which cartoonist Chast writes and draws a memoir of dealing with her parents in their declining years. I have really enjoyed a number of memoirs in graphic-novel format, and this was a great one. The story hit close to home too, as I'm sure it would for anybody who has been involved with caring for elderly parents.

38. Vanished Kingdoms, by Norman Davies (August 6). In which the noted historian discusses a number of political entities, mostly in Europe, which once existed and now no longer do, including both those as little known as the kingdom of Alt Clud in Britain and those once as powerful as the Soviet Union. It took me forever to read this, but when I joined a gym this year and figured out I could bring an e-reader and read while I used the elliptical machine I finally felt like I had the perfect opportunity to stick with this book.

39. The Late Scholar, by Jill Paton Walsh (August 8). In which Peter Wimsey, now the Duke of Denver, discovers he has also inherited the position of Visitor to an Oxford college, and is called upon to settle a dispute amongst the fellows. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the previous installment, but it was still pretty fun.

40. In the King's Service, by Katherine Kurtz (August 20). In which King Donal Haldane plots to raise a Deryni protector for his crown prince even if he has to sire one himself. When I found out that the long-delayed last volume of this trilogy is finally coming out in December, I figured I'd better reread the first two, as I have very little recollection of where we left off!

41. Grave Sight, by Charlaine Harris (August 29). In which Harper Connelly, who can feel the last moments of the dead, has to start getting some answers from the living when more people start dying. My quirkier book club suggested an author rather than a title for this month, so I got to pick one of Harris's non-vampire novels. I liked it a lot, but didn't go on to the other books in the series; and then I missed the book club meeting about it.