It’s been a minute since I posted on here. There was a lot of real-life stuff happening in June and July that made my reading life take a bit of a dive. I don’t want to get too far into it here, but I’ll say that 3 loved ones ended up in the hospital in May, June, and July and that was stressful.
In June, I read…
- Erotic Stores for Punjabi Widows – Balli Kaur Jaswal
- Life and Other Near-Death Experiences – Camille Pagan
- The Age of Miracles – Karen Thompson Walker
- Park Avenue Summer – Renee Rosen
- The Shark Club – Ann Kidd Taylor
- The Bride Test – Helen Hoang
- The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living – Louise Miller
- Save Me The Plums: My Gourmet Memoir – Ruth Reichl
- Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (re-read)
- The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides
- Always and Forever, Lara Jean – Jenny Han
- Four Season in Rome – Anthony Doerr
- Voyager – Diana Gabaldon
- Transcription – Kate Atkinson
- Next Year in Havana – Chanel Cleeton
- 99 Percent Mine – Sally Thorne
- Feeling Sorry for Celia – Jaclyn Moriarty (re-read)
- The Rook – Daniel O’Malley (re-read)
If you can tell, the majority of the books for June were quick, easy reads that took me out of my own head. The standouts were: Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, The City Baker’s Guide To Country Living, and The Rook. The Rook was a re-read that I decided to do on audio this time and it was as engrossing as the first time I read it. The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living was a food-fiction book. I loved all of the descriptions and it made me immediately want to go live in a B&B. Life and Other Near-Death Experiences was a brain-candy book but it had a lot of heart and had enough of a spin on the classic ‘my life is falling apart and love can fix it’ trope that it felt fresh.
As I was writing this I realized how many re-reads I had in June. I really didn’t realize I was a re-reader until I listened to the podcast ‘He Read She Read’ and Curtis talked about all his re-reads. I mean, honestly, sometimes I feel like – what’s the point of a new book if I already know that this one I read before is so good.
In July, I read…
- The Obelisk Gate – N.K. Jemisin
- Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane
- Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon
- To Night Owl From Dogfish – Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
- The Duke and I – Julia Quinn
- The Wedding Party – Jasmine Guillory
- The Most Fun We Ever Had – Claire Lombardo
- 84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
- Evvie Drake Starts Over – Linda Holmes
- Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
A good number of July’s reads were big, hefty books. That probably accounts for the lower numbers, along with me starting and putting down 10 books. 10! That’s the most books I’ve picked up and then put down in a month all year. Generally, I average 4 books or less abandoned. I guess I was just being picky, or I’m trying to read too much of the same type of book. The standouts in July were: The Most Fun We Ever Had, 84, Charing Cross Road, and Carry On. Carry On was recommended in the ‘What Should I Read Next’ podcast as a favorite from a recent guest, and I loved it so much that I waited as long as I could to finish it (which I NEVER do). I’m a big fantasy nerd and YA fantasy hits that small place in my heart that says ‘YES! LOVE IS TRUE!’. This novel definitely hit that feeling right in the heart. Simon and Baz forever!!! (Sorry, I guess that was a spoiler…) The Most Fun We Ever Had was essentially the TV show ‘Parenthood’ but in a book. It was lovely and I’ll probably read anything Claire Lombardo ever writes. I’ve had my copy of 84, Charing Cross road for a while and picked it up one afternoon while I was doing some strict observation of one of the loved ones who had been discharged from the hospital. The writing was pithy, sarcastic, funny, and many more things. I laughed out loud multiple times. I even highlighted the book (egads!) which is unlike me.
I’ve fallen into a bit of a slump for audiobooks. The last two I tried to listen to were Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. My issue with both of them ended up being a male narrator and too complex a cast of characters for my focus. I think the other issue is also that I was listening to them in the morning. I am NOT a morning person.
My reading stats for the year sit at: 99 books read (!!!) at 36,752 pages. I have almost hit my goal of 100 books for the year, and the year is little more than halfway over. In the running for 100th book of the year (A.K.A. what I’m reading right now) are ‘What If It’s Us’, ‘Happiness for Beginners’, ‘The Stationary Shop,’ ‘Princess in Theory,’ and ‘Lethal White’. Odds on, it’s going to be ‘Happiness for Beginners’ or ‘The Stationary Shop’ because those are the shortest books that I’m already most of the way through. I’ve been wondering about how my reading life might change once I hit the mystical 100 books mark. Will I keep up the pace? I don’t think I will hit 200 books in the year. I feel like I have been blowing through books and I should read more intentionally (read: slower). But, when I read more slowly, I find myself slogging through books and not at all interested in finishing them. Do I need a reading goal? Should I set one? I can’t decide if it is helpful or harmful to be analyzing my reading life so closely. I think reading needs to keep the fun in it. So, I won’t think too hard, and you can check back at the end of August for another recap and how I’m doing!
SJP Books 