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books2010-09-02 11:59 am
sweet_sparrow) wrote in books2010-09-02 11:59 am
Reading Antics: What've you been reading?
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...
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...
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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*
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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...
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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*
Mind if I go ahead and make such a post? ;)
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