Reading Antics: What've you been reading?

[sweet_sparrow]

But first, a quick question for everyone: should I find a way to remember asking this every month, would people rather I stop asking alltogether, or should I just continue on and make it a bi-monthly thing as it's been the past few months?

I can make it a poll if people prefer, but it'd detract from the main reason I'm posting.
Basic gist, as always: what've you been reading the past two months and would you recommend it to others? Have you made any reading plans for this September? (Course work reading, perhaps.)

I've had an extremely productive July. I read 21 (!) books. So you'll have to forgive me if I link what I actually read. (It's a long post. Be prepared to do a little scrolling.) Most of the books were books for my courses and most of them were also sorely disappointing, but the non-course literature I read was pretty amazing. My favourite reads from this month include Potiki by Patricia Grace and Voodoo Dreams by Jewell Parker Rhodes, both of which are gorgeously written.

My August reading dropped back to the average amount of books I read in a month, mostly because I'm almost through my course books and decided to take a break that turned out longer than it was supposed to. (I'm still on break. Bad Shanra. Uni starts next week.)

- Clementine by Cherie Priest
- Chocolat by Joanne Harris
- Dracula by Bram Stoker (reread)
- In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente (dnf)
- The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones
- Idylls of the King by Lord Alfred Tennyson
- Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
- The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block
- Seven Men and Two Others by Max Beerbohm
- Perfume by Patrick Süskind (reread, dnf)

Of those, my favourite would have to be Clementine, I think. It was action-packed, it was fun, it was fast... I had a blast with it. It's not been a great reading month. I've enjoyed a fair few of the books I read, but fell head over heels for none of them.

Reading plans for September include finishing up Ancient Irish Tales by Tom Peete Cross and Clark Harris Slover, reading The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson, Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Oscar Wilde's short stories. Beyond that all's game. ^-^ I'm hoping to balance my genres a little better again too, though it probably doesn't seem it...

Comments

[fairytalewishes]

Seeing as new people are coming from LJ, you should probably do it every month just to see if people are going to comment. :)

I'm currently reading Chocolat. I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm also reading two other books, just not as much: How to be Hepburn in a Hilton World and How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life. How to be Hepburn in a Hilton World is very funny, but it's getting a little tiring. The author pokes fun at 'stupid girls' way too often. And How to be Lovely is just a sweet little book with pictures and quotes from Audrey Hepburn.

[sweet_sparrow]

I need to learn to be better at remembering to do things...

Ooooh, that first sounds like a very sweet book indeed. Even the title is endearing! Who couldn't like a book called How to Be Lovely? ^-^ *makes note to look into it more*

I kind of wish I'd waited a few days on reading Chocolat. It was very sweet and heartening and it would've been a great book to end the month on. ^-^ I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it. It reminds me a bit of cotton candy (or candy floss or what you want to called it) rather than chocolate, though. ^-~

[quackaquacka]

I've been doing a read-210-books-in-2010 thing so I've been keeping track of all the books I've read this year. It's been quite enlightening, actually, it's brought to light some patterns in my reading habits that I didn't know existed.

http://quackaquacka.dreamwidth.org/1019.html

[sweet_sparrow]

Ooooh, what an awesome list! I am seriously envious of your reading skills and speed. O_O

I hope the reading habits you've discovered are ones you're glad to have! ^-^

[littlerhymes]

Hello from a lurker. :D

This is a good idea - I'm nosy, I like seeing what other people are reading! And your 'books that entered' and 'books that left' lists are so interesting - I never know where all my books are, sadly, and I'm always getting more than I can read.

My favourites from the last couple of months were
- "The King's Head" by Susan Price (a medieval fantasy with stories within stories, spooky and funny and sad in turn)
- "The Bullet Trick" by Louise Welsh (down-on-his-luck magician gets mixed up in criminal underworld) and
- "The Children's Book" by AS Byatt (Victorian/Edwardian-era meta-ish literary soap opera!).


July - xxxHolic 7-8, The King's Head, Soulless, Daytripper #8, Fullmetal Alchemist 23, How to paint a dead man, Wild Adapter 6, A Bag of Moonshine.

August - Avoiding Mr Right, Terminator Salvation, The Children's Book, xxxHolic 9-15, Daytripper #9, Off The Menu, The Gutter and the Grave, The Bullet Trick, Cantarella 10, Bindis and Brides, Dutch Uncle, The Financial Lives of the Poets.

[sweet_sparrow]

*waves* Hello! ^-^

I've started tracking the books I own and don't own a few years ago. I quite like being aware of exactly how much books I buy and somehow get rid of. It gives me something concrete to try and curb my book buying habits with because I can look back and see at a glance what I've done.

"The King's Head" by Susan Price (a medieval fantasy with stories within stories, spooky and funny and sad in turn)

Sold! That sounds awesome! I love stories within stories. ^-^ (Ignore my not-finishing the Valente up there. It is a Fluke and should be rectified when I reread it at a more appropriate time. *nods*)

A Bag of Moonshine sounds pretty interesting too. (I love retellings.)

[cafeshree]

Hello, new here and would like to see a monthly question, just to prompt me to participate.

I've been blogging on wordpress, cafeshree there, so all my links are there, just starting to post here, wanted more of a conversation, but in August, I've read a couple of mysteries, some non-fiction, some graphic novels, probably my favorite of the month was Gimme Something Better by Tudor a history of Bay area punk music.

[sweet_sparrow]

*waves* Hi! ^-^

I hope you'll be able to find that conversation! ^-^ (And I'd be happy to try and offer it when I can. ^-^) Ooh, you're reading Matthew Lewis' The Monk at the moment? What's it like? (It's on one of my course lists. Well, I'm probably going to have to drop the course for practicality reasons, but I'm going to try and read what was on the list anyway. ^-^ Except that that one scares me...)

[to_love_a_rose]

I've been in a reading slump, but I did read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and I enjoyed it.

[sweet_sparrow]

I'm sorry to hear you've been in a slump! Are things looking up for you at least?

One day, I must read North and South too, if only because it keeps popping up everywhere and I haven't. ^-^

[willidan]

I just got a kindle (yay! Finally!) last week, so I've been downloading free classics and excerpts of books I want to read but haven't bought or checked out yet. I'm still re-reading the Temeraire series. I did buy Tongues of Serpents and I'm loving it. I'm also reading Emma, which I forgot was such a delight. I also read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. I know Shakespeare is wonderful, but I never read it because all I have is a ginormous book which is difficult (to say the least) to read comfortably. But my kindle only weighs a few pounds, so I'm looking forward to re-reading Shakespeare.

I downloaded excerpts of Hunger Games and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but haven't read them yet. I'm afraid I'll have to buy them immediately after I read the free excerpt. I also read a chapter from The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, but have only added that to my "to read" list. But if you get your hands on a copy, give it a try.

Sadly I haven't read as much as I wanted. School just started and I've been busy getting the department ready for the students. I've also had rl explode all over the place the last two months, so have been too stressed to read much. :(

[sweet_sparrow]

Oooh, I hope you're enjoying the Kindle! ^-^ It sounds like you're having fun with the excerpt downloading at the very, very least! Ereaders seem like the perfect way to read Shakespeare, I concur. I have a collection of all of the plays where the books are about the size of my hand, but they have extremely tiny print and aren't comfortable to read either. It seems either you have something like that, a brick, or quite expensive single volumes for everything. Can't win. Ereaders sound ideal.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been so stressed, though! I hope things are settling down for you now (school starting notwithstanding) at least, though. *sends good thoughts*

[trouble]

I'm mostly doing that "dipping in and stealing what I need" thing in terms of reading non-fiction right now, although I was absolutely delighted with Signs of Resistance by Susan Burch, which is about the history of Deaf culture in the US from 1900 - WWII. I highly recommend it!

Fiction-wise, I have just been grabbing old favourites and giving them quick re-reads to decide if I want to keep them or sell them for a fundraiser. My reading likes have really changed over the past few years, I'm afraid to say. (Well, sad for me, but good for Feed Nova Scotia.)

[sweet_sparrow]

Oh! That sounds fascinating! And something I know practically nothing about too. I'm not terribly good with reading non-fiction, but I do like it. ^-^

*wistful sigh* I'm sad to hear you're finding so many old favourites not living up to standard. :( I do hope they'll sell well and help the fundraiser out, though!

(And that is a brilliant icon. XD)

[akk]

I've read
Havemercy and its sequel Shadowmagic by Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett, a series I highly recommend if you like Steampunk, (mechanical dragons), and extremely well done character-driven 1st-person fiction, in July
and started August with
Sex at Dawn, a non-fiction book by Christopher Ryan & Cacilda Jethá about the prehistoric origins of modern (human) sexuality, written in a delightful tongue-in-cheek language that nevertheless is clear, precise and to the point with enough source material and standard texts referenced to allow a deeper look into the topics addressed if one is inclined to do so. I highly recommend this book, even if you don't agree with all of its conclusions, because it was one of the most entertaining reads I've had this year (including fictional texts).
I progressed August with
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning, which is not a bad book, given that it is urban fantasy with seelie and unseelie fae and a female lead, which turns from everyday girlie to kickass heroine over the course of the series, but it's not as captivating as the plot promised. It's more a "if you have time to spend (and nothing more thrilling at hand)" kind of book for me.
The same goes for Fey Born by R. Garland Gray, which I tried next (mostly because it kept cluttering up my "harmless afternoon" reading pile. Same verdict as for Darkfever, though.

Reading plans include a reread of the Sturmwelten (rough translation from German would be "Storm worlds") trilogy by Christoph Hardebusch, which plays in a fascinating world composed of parts taken from Caribbean pirates, dark magic, dragons, and a good dose of Horatio Hornblower and Captain Bligh navy yarn. I've yet to read the three books in one go, and I'll see where I go from there. :-)

[sweet_sparrow]

Books I've heard of! Well, half of them. ^-~ I didn't realise that the Jones/Bennett books were steampunk, though. ^-^

Are the Hardebusch books terribly difficult to read? They sound awesome, but my German isn't great. I'll get the gist of the book (er, probably), but not the nuances. They sound like good practice and fun reads, so I'm wondering what sort of difficulties I might have with them. ^-^

[marshtide]

Swedish-language books I've read:

- Loranga, Massarin och Dartanjang by Barbro Lindgren, which is a classic Swedish children's book and amazingly surreal. I really enjoyed it, but enjoyment hinges entirely on being able to appreciate its particular brand of humour.

- Agnes Cecelia by Maria Grippe, which I think I was beginning last time you posted. It's a very good YA ghost story.

- Trollkarlens hatt by Tove Jansson, published in English as Finn Family Moomintroll. I've read this before, but in English. It's wonderful and I recommend it highly, though I like the later moomin books even better.

- Resa med lätt bagage by Tove Jansson, which is a book of short stories and includes some real gems. It's also just been published in English as Travelling Light (possibly only in the UK, not sure). Tove's writing is brilliant in a simple-and-powerful kind of way.

- Kent: texter om sveriges största rockband, which is an unofficial book collecting interviews, reviews and articles to do with Kent, a rock band who are famous in Sweden (& the other nordic countries) but not known much elsewhere. Really enjoyed reading this, but strictly interesting to people who're definite fans!


In English:

- Inseparable: desire between women in literature by Emma Donoghue, which was excellent and entertaining. Does what the title says!

- The diary of Virginia Woolf: volume 1, which is basically an extension of my continuing Virginia Woolf obsession...

[sweet_sparrow]

Travelling Light isn't for sale on the US Amazon site, no. Well, not by Amazon anyway. Did you like the English or Swedish version of Moomin better? *curious*

[lea_hazel]

I don't think I read much in July. I tore through The Girl who Played with Fire at the end of July/beginning of August, but since then I haven't finished a book. Then I had an exam, and now I'm contemplating giving up on Acacia and moving on to something else on my list. I must have a dozen unread books sitting around, and if I've been trying to get into a book since April and haven't succeeded, that's not the best of signs.

[sweet_sparrow]

Ouch. That sounds like a really long reading funk. :( I suppose revisiting old favourites hasn't helped either? I wish I knew of something that would for definite! I hope the exam went well at least.

[holyschist]

I would prefer monthly, but bimonthly is fine!

Let's see. I have been kind of limited by library options this summer, so I read a pretty random assortment. Mostly YA. I've been trying to broaden the types of authors I read and read more authors of color, queer authors, and authors from countries other than the US or UK, but I also grab books that look intriguing in the library all the time.

July:

58. Guardian of the Dead, by Karen Healey (YA contemporary fantasy)
A New Zealand urban fantasy with Maori elements; I really loved it, and the author's commitment to writing stories with diverse casts pleases me. There are some issues which may be deal-breakers for some readers, however.

59. White Cat, by Holly Black (YA contemporary fantasy)
Magical con artists! One of the more interesting magic set-ups I've seen in a while, and engaging characters.

60. Unseen Academicals, by Terry Pratchett (satirical fantasy)
Football and fashion shows come to the Discworld. The most disappointing Disc novel for me in a while; it felt like at least two novels awkwardly stuck together, and I really don't like where Pratchett's been going with the dwarf gender revolution.

61. Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett (satirical fantasy)
A reread. Not one of the funnier Disc books, but I enjoyed it.

62. Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera (contemporary, magic realism elements)
The book on which the movie was based, about a Maori girl, her family and heritage, and whales. I enjoyed it, but it's one of those rare cases where I think the movie made a stronger story, and one more actually focused on Paikea (Kahu in the book). In the book, Kahu is much younger and much of the story has to be told through her uncle Rawiri's eyes. Also, the relationship between Paikea and her grandfather in the movie made more narrative sense. Worth reading, but watch the movie, too.

63. Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel, by Drew Hayden Taylor (YA contemporary vampire)
There were a lot of interesting ideas in this book about a teenage Anishinabe girl in Canada and an Anishinabe vampire who's just returned from centuries of exile in Europe, but the writing was too clunky for me. Taylor is mostly a playwright, and while his dialogue works pretty well, his narrative doesn't always.

64. Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkowski (YA historical fantasy)
This was a fun 16th century clockpunk fantasy with all kinds of cool ideas and a fairly engaging heroine, although a few things went clunk for me (the concept of zero was quite well understood in Europe by the 16th century, for example).

August:

65. Westmark, by Lloyd Alexander (YA secondary world fantasy)
A reread (first in a trilogy), still one of my favorite fantasy stories--it's essentially a YA fantasy version of Les Miserables, but focusing on the students and throwing in some con artists. One of vanishingly few fantasy stories I can think of which ends in the positive dissolution of a monarchy.

66. Mélusine, by Sarah Monette (secondary world fantasy)
I have some reservations about Tragic Gay Heroes and the mishmash of names was a bit jarring at time, but I absolutely adored Mildmay and the magic system seems interesting so far. Looking forward to the next three books!

67. Shine, Coconut Moon, by Neesha Meminger (YA contemporary)
This is very much a political novel about an Indian Sikh girl learning about her heritage and connecting with her mother's estranged family, right after 9/11. Being a political novel is not a bad thing; I think there's an age at which it would be a very good book for some teenagers. However, I didn't find it entirely convincing because of that--I was in high school during 9/11, and high school discussions about race and/or 9/11 just weren't anywhere near that reasoned and calm. Many of the conversations about race and heritage the teenage characters had sound more like college students or young adults, not high schoolers.

68. Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld (YA dystopian science fiction)
Dystopian science fiction for kids! Westerfeld is compulsive reading, and he's set up a fascinating dystopian future where everyone is "ugly" until age 16, when they get an operation to become a "pretty". Of course, there's a darker side beyond the obvious. Definitely going to devour the next three as soon as I get ahold of them.

69. Interred With Their Bones, by Jennifer Lee Carrell (contemporary mystery)
A murder mystery set mostly in the American Southwest, about a lost Shakespeare play and the identity of Shakespeare. I mostly enjoyed it, up until the reveal of the murderer, which left a bad taste in my mouth, and I wasn't a fan of the "identity of Shakespeare" the novel ended up using. A pretty fun read, though, and it was interesting to think about how ingrained Shakespeare was in the culture of the Old West; I kind of want to go see a performance in the Globe replica in Cedar City, Utah now.

70. Climbing the Stairs, by Padma Venkatraman (YA historical)
A novel about a young Brahmin woman growing up in India during WWII; it seemed solidly researched and vivid, and the main character, Vidya, was very engaging and likable. After tragedy strikes Vidya's family, they must go live with her father's father and brothers, in a traditional household which is very hard on Vidya. With her grandfather's permission, Vidya escapes through books--Hindu religion and philosophy and classics of Western literature, mostly. Meanwhile, her brother is struggling with his beliefs about WWII and nonviolence. I really loved this book; the only off note for me was Vidya's reaction to the aftermath of a key event. Venkatraman has a bunch of reading lists on different aspects of the novel which look really interesting.

September:

I'm planning to read some more novels for adults (perhaps Melissa Scott's Night Sky Mine and some Amitav Ghosh), and maybe some linguistics. Will have to see how much time I have around travel and job applications!

[sweet_sparrow]

So far monthly seems to be the preferred timing of everyone. (I prefer it too, actually. I just have a sieve-for-brain. *sigh*)

Dare I ask what the dealbreakers on Healey are? It sounds fascinating. Please tell me the dealbreaker isn't zombies... *goes look it up on amazon* Please, Amazon, don't say zom -- Ooooooooooooooooh. SOLD! I want this book. Even if it ends up having zombies. And I have to mention that book to a friend of mine too. *happy bunny*

I really liked Whale Rider too, but I can't remember how well it compares to the movie as I watched both a while ago. I do remember liking both. ^-^

And very interesting to hear your opinion on Mélusine and Shine, Coconut Moon as I have both on my TBR pile. I'll have to try and keep your experiences of how the discussions you've experienced were in mind for it. ^-^ I'm going to add Climbing the Stairs to my wishlist too. It sounds fascinating! (They all do, but that one stands out a lot.)

Oooh, can I ask which branch of linguistics? I'm hoping I'll be able to take a course on morphology next semester. My uni courses focus more on syntax and phonology, though, so it'll be a whole new experience. ^-^ /random Shanra-information.

[sage]

I'm definitely in favor of what are you reading posts. Once DW implements scheduled posting, then you can just set up an autopost for the main questions bit & then play in comments for your own. :)

August
75. Circe's Recruits 01: Roane - Marie Harte
(ridiculous but entertaining scifi werewolf het/queer/moresome porn.)
76. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell, #1) - Laurie R. King
(Sherlock Holmes pro fanfic.)
77. A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Mary Russell, #2) - Laurie R. King
(Sherlock Holmes pro fanfic - not as good as #1.)
78. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
(Vampire novel about historiography -- i.e. the creation of documented "history". fascinating, if uneven.)
79. Finnegan's Promise - Carol Lynne
(schmoopy queer football player/bartender porn. Verged on smarm.)
80. Temeraire 6: Tongues of Serpents - Naomi Novik
(draconic exile in Australia.)
81. Black Ships - Jo Graham
(Aeneid reimagined from the Seer's POV. Best novel I've read in ages.)

Right, so apparently August was a month for reading fluff, mostly. I don't really plan in advance what I'll be reading, but I have scads of books on deck awaiting my attention. Right now I'm rereading The Aeneid and flying through Mary Russel #3. I think perhaps more Jo Graham and possibly some Mary Renault if my taste for the ancient Mediterranean holds.

What would you think of doing a post inviting people to link to their Goodreads or Library Things or blogs where they post book reviews? I use my Goodreads pretty much daily, and I'm always interested in finding out what people think is worth reading (or skipping, as the case may be). *g*

[sweet_sparrow]

I know! I'm excited about that! There'll definitely be no more forgetting then! ^-^

Fluff has its place and uses too. ^-^ It sounds like you had a fun reading month in August. I don't normally schedule my reading either, but sometimes I want or need to make exceptions. (Like coursework reading. Or my Tam Lin month. I want to read all my Tam Lin-themed books come October, or at least four of them. It'll be fun! ^-^)

Oooh... I think that sounds spiffy. (And I'm curious as heck and love nosing about other people's bookcases. That has nothing to do with my response, no. Not at all. It just seems that way. *nods*) It'd also be nice to have that in one place too. I don't think it'd be against any rules, but I'm not sure...

[venetia_sassy]

Hi! I've just found this comm and it looks like my kind of place. *g*

My reading in July and August

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale (loved it. Lots of interesting threads about the social context of the crime and the development of the modern police detective)
An Unconventional Woman by Jean Tahija (interesting look at a cross-cultural marriage and the early days of Indonesian independence)

Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells (terrific fantasy story with a non-European setting and a middle-aged black heroine)
King's Dragon, Prince of Dogs, The Burning Stone (Crown of Stars, #1-3) by Kate Elliot (I'd heard good things about these books and I kept trying ... but no. I just couldn't care about any of the characters.)
Bonds of Justice (Psy-Changeling, #8) by Nalini Singh (not the best of them but a good addition to the series)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (excellent kids' book)
Have His Carcase, Murder Must Advertise, The Nine Tailors, Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers (MMA was my favourite but all good Wimesy novels plus some short stories)
A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Dracula/The Lair of the White Worm/Dracula’s Guest and other stories by Bram Stoker
Naked Once More by Elizabeth Peters (fourth Jacqueline Kirby book. Silly but fun)
A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively (gorgeous book about trying to figure out the world and your place in it as a child)
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (fun adventure book for kids)
She and King Solomon's Mines by H.Rider Haggard (very much of their time)
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (I'd never read it before. Enchanting but with plenty of barbed comments)
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber (disappointing. Insipid heroine and a confused plot)
The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword and Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (The first two are good girl-centric adventures and the third has a marvelous magical setting. But all of them bogged down in the last third. It was odd. And I thought McKinley was known for strong heroines. I found Harry(TBS) and Rosie(SE)quite passive in cetain respects)
Mistress of Dragons (The Dragonvarld Trilogy, #1) by Margaret Weis (I just didn't care)

I've also been rereading the Tomorrow When The War Began series by John Marsden and I've started another reread of the In Death series by J.D. Robb. As to what else ... my TBR stack is huge. Actually there are several of them. I've just started Leviathan: The History of Whaling in by Eric Jay Dolin which looks to be very interesting.

[sweet_sparrow]

*waves* Hello! Welcome. ^-^

I'm tempted to jump up and down going "I have that book on my TBR pile!" every time I spot The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. ^-^ Hopefully I'll get to it before long. ^-^ (Like yours, my TBR pile is huge. :/)

What's the setting for the Martha Wells book based on? *curious, looks it up* South-East Asia? (I'm going by an Amazon review there.)

[archersangel]

i have a list going of stuff that i've read so far this year;

http://archersangel.dreamwidth.org/22599.html