The rain returned at the end of August, and I could not be happier. The home improvements are done for this year (I hope), and so I am looking forward to settling in as the days get shorter.

What I’ve been working on

I finished off the copy-edit of a book on modern purchasing strategies (very much out of my usual wheelhouse, but good exercise for my non-fiction editing skills). I moved on to the copy-edit of a crime novel set in Ibiza, and I completed the copy-edit of some speculative fiction that juxtaposed nomadic and city life. Alongside those, I provided the developmental edit of the second book in a series set in a dystopian version of the UK – it’s always great to return to a familiar world and find out where the author is taking the story next.

What I read for fun

The August book club pick was The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I can’t remember the last epistolary novel I read, so this was an interesting change of pace. Sybil is an engaging, if not always likeable, protagonist, and there was certainly lots of discussion to be had about the events described, and how Sybil represents or responds to them. A novel that rewards patience and curiosity, I think.

Looking ahead

September is the month of my birth, so I will be taking a couple of days off as a treat to myself.