Since it is the first Sunday of the month, I am posting the books I read in August – which seemed to fly by. I am still scrambling to be ready to start homeschooling on Wednesday, but when I do grab a few minutes for reading today, it will be from either Heresy by S.J. Parris or The Gendarme by Mark Mustian.

Now that we’re entering a new season, I’m curious. Are your reading habits seasonal? Do you have a certain genre or author that you want to read during the autumn?

Books finished in August:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – 5 stars – my review

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (audiobook) – 5 stars – my review

The Fiddler’s Gun by A.S. Peterson – 4 stars – my review

The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell – 3 stars – my review

Fragile by Lisa Unger (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black – 4 stars – my review

Godric by Frederick Buechner – 2 stars

The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst (audiobook) – 5 stars – my review

Troublemaker, Book 1 by Janet Evanovich; Alex Evanovich; and Joelle Jones – 3 stars

I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman – 4 stars

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – 5 stars

Home Repair by Liz Rosenberg – 4 stars – my review

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (audiobook) – 4 stars

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First of all, can I say that it really shouldn’t be the last Sunday of August yet? I can hardly believe that the month is almost over, though Natalie is very glad that the last couple of weeks have gone by quickly. (Brief update for those of you following her progress: she has a C/T scan scheduled on Wednesday, the 1st. If scan shows that inflammation is gone or greatly improved, we will start to advance her diet slowly and continue with Remicade treatments; if scan shows no or not enough improvement, we schedule her for surgery to have about 8 to 10 centimeters removed from her small intestine. She’s hanging in there, but is really tired of the whole IV at home thing.)

I did get a bunch of school-related stuff done yesterday, so I’m not going to feel too guilty if I take some time to sit and read today. I am currently one disc away from finishing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on audio (I’m typing this Saturday night, so I may actually have finished it before crashing), and am in the middle of reading Matched by Ally Condie – which is fantastic so far – and Heresy by S.J. Parris, which is beautifully written but a slower read.

If you get a chance to read on this last Sunday of the month, which books will be your companions?

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After two nights sleeping in my own bed, I am starting to feel more human again, more like myself. I’ve also gotten through two nights of giving Natalie her evening IV antibiotics and then starting her on the IV nutrients (they run all night) without screwing anything up, which is a huge relief. Natalie is handling things well. Nothing-to-eat-but-clear-liquids is still her most hated phrase in the English language, but the IV nutrients tamp down her hunger response, so it’s more a psychological desire for food than anything else. I am continually amazed by her grace and positive attitude during all of this – she makes me very proud.

I didn’t get as much reading done in the hospital this time, but I did have some books that helped pass the time. I listened to – and finished – the audiobook edition of Fragile by Lisa Unger. It was a great book for those nights when I just couldn’t sleep and it was too dark to read a print book. My review will be coming soon for a tour date – the 24th, I think.

I was also reading two books n print. I’m reading Godric by Frederick Beuchner for a Faith ‘n’ Fiction Round Table Discussion, and I have decidedly mixed feelings about it. Actually, now that I think about it, they’re not really that mixed: I don’t like it. But it’s short, so I will finish it today, and am looking forward to hearing what the rest of the participants thought.

I’m also almost finished with Christine Falls by Benjamin Black, and loving it. It’s the first in a series and I will definitely be continuing to read about pathologist Quirke Griffin, a wonderfully damaged character.

If I have any time to read today after finishing those two, I will start Laura Lippman’s I’d Know You Anywhere. What are you reading today?

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I didn’t do a Sunday Salon or a July wrap-up last week, so here’s both in one post. I’ve had some great reading experiences this past week – including finishing The Help and Red Hook Road on audio and Beautiful Creatures in print.

Today, I gave up on The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I loved his essay collection, Maps and Legends, and so was excited to read one of his novels, but after making it to page 276 out of 600-something, I simply didn’t want to read any farther. It is well-written, but I didn’t care what happened next. Another title to add to the “everyone loved it but me” list. (A bit ironic that I loved his wife’s book – Red Hook Road.)

My reading time today – if I have any – will be spent finishing The Fiddler’s Gun by A.S. Peterson and making progress on Godric by Fredric Beuchner for a Faith ‘n’ Fiction Round Table at the end of the month.

What are you reading this second Sunday of August?

Books finished in July:

Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala – 4 stars – my review

On Beauty by Zadie Smith (audiobook) – 5 stars – my review

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber – 4 stars – my review

Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show by Frank Delaney – 4 stars – my review

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer – 4 stars – my review

Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry, selected and introduced by Billy Collins – 4 stars

Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature’s 50 Greatest Hits by Jack Murnighan – 4 stars – my review

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex – 3 stars – my review

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman – 5 stars – my review

God of the Hive by Laurie R. King – 5 stars – my review

Raiders’ Ransom by Emily Diamand (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich (audiobook) – 3 stars – my review

North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson – 5 stars – my review

Spells by Aprilynne Pike – 4 stars

One Day by David Nicholls – 5 stars – my review

Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin – 3 stars – my review

Update on reading challenges:

100 Shots of Short Challenge
Completed 93/100 short stories

100+ Reading Challenge
Completed 114/150 books

Amy Einhorn Reading Challenge
Completed 1/16 books

Art History Reading Challenge
Completed 1/3 books

Christy Awards Challenge
Completed 0/3 books

Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge
Completed 7/8 books

Countdown Challenge
Completed 54/55 books

EW Summer Books Challenge
Completed 2/5 books

POC Reading Challenge
Completed 10/15 books

Read the Book, See the Movie Challenge
Completed 1/2 book/movies

Reading From My Shelves Challenge
Completed 20/20 books – just need to give them all away

South Asian Author Challenge
Completed 1/3 books

Support Your Local Library Challenge
Completed 49/50 books

TwentyTen Reading Challenge
Completed 19/20 books

War Through the Generations Challenge
Completed 3/5 books

What’s in a Name? Challenge
Completed 4/6 books

Women Unbound Challenge
Completed 6/7 books

Other bookish posts this week:

~ Book Review: Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin
~ Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
~ Book Review: One Day by David Nicholls

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So, I’ve been reading some really great books lately. I finished two 5-star reads this week: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman and God of the Hive by Laurie R. King. I started The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon on Thursday, and I’m optimistic that it will be another terrific read. Which is all well and good, but I have a problem. See, I have this stack of review copies waiting for me – some of them months old.

A Hidden Affair by Pam Jenoff
Thumbing Through Thoreau: A Book of Quotations by Henry David Thoreau illustrated by Jay Luke and Ren Adams
The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
Lord of the Rams by Ronan Smith
Home Repair by Liz Rosenberg
Lost Letter by Neil Mulligan
Heresy by S.J. Parris
A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything by Laura Grace Weldon
Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Enter If You Dare!

Plus, I have two more review copies on their way to me:

How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
Fragile by Lisa Unger

Plus, I have a some books out from the library that I should be reading because they have been nominated for INSPY awards.

Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin
Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

Plus, two more that I checked out just because I want to read them:

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
Spells by Aprilynne Pike

And none of this takes into account the 143 unread, non-review-commitment books that I own. Sigh.

I normally don’t feel too overwhelmed by my review commitments, but adding in the INSPYs has put me just a bit on overload – and we’re not even into the short lists and judging yet! I know I’m going to have to start getting it done; my plan is to alternate review copies with INSPY nominees. We’ll see how that goes.

Between church this morning and taking Natalie to see Eclipse this afternoon, I’m not sure how much reading time I’ll fit in, but if I do manage to find a few minutes, I will be reading from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Chabon and Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin.

What are you reading this Sunday?

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As I’m writing this on Saturday evening, I am all alone in my house, and have been since Friday afternoon. It’s a blissful feeling – one that, as a homeschooling parent, I don’t get very often. Once or twice a year, though, my husband is kind enough to give me a weekend off. I helped them load up the van and my dad’s truck on Friday morning and sent them off for a weekend of camping. They won’t return until tomorrow afternoon some time.

I have spent my weekend selfishly – doing only what I wanted to do. Friday afternoon I sat on the couch and finished Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show by Frank Delaney and then read the novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer in one sitting. (Reviews of both titles to come.)

Friday evening I headed to Michelle’s house for a movie night. (Her husband and sons are camping with Kevin and my kids.) We were going to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral, since she has never seen it, but her DVD froze up on us. We ended up watching Bright Star on Netflix Watch Instantly – and it was amazing. It is a gorgeous true love story about the poet John Keats. It is a movie that neither of our husbands would have been able to stay awake through, and so the perfect movie for Moms’ Night. We then talked books, homeschooling, and life until 12:45 a.m.

Saturday, I started Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman and God of the Hive by Laurie R. King – following my plan to read no review commitment books this weekend. Those are the books I will be spending my Sunday – and last hours of solitude – with. What are you reading today?

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I can’t believe today is Independence Day already! As far as the weather goes, our spring really stunk, so it doesn’t really feel like summer yet. Hopefully we’ll have a clear evening tonight for setting off fireworks with the kids. Any reading time I get today will be spent with Truly, Madly by Heather Webber and Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show by Frank Delaney – yes, I’m still reading this one. I don’t know why it’s taking me so long – I always enjoy it when I pick it up. What will your Independence Day reading be?

Books finished in June:

Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell – 3 stars – my review

A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen – 4 stars

Being Perfect by Anna Quindlen – 4 stars

Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King – 5 stars – my review

French Milk by Lucy Knisley – 3 stars – my review

Impatient with Desire by Gabrielle Burton – 4 stars – my review

Firmin by Sam Savage – 4 stars – my review

Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Likeness by Tana French – 5 stars – my review

Genesis by Bernard Beckett – 4 stars – my review

Good Poems: Selected and Introduced by Garrison Keillor – 4 stars

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (audiobook) – 5 stars – my review

The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King – 5 stars – my review

White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1) by Holly Black (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri – 4 stars – my review

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – 4 stars – my review

The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

Challenges completed in June:

~ YA Reading Challenge
~ Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
~ Ireland Reading Challenge
~ Audiobook Challenge

Update on reading challenges:

100 Shots of Short Challenge
Completed 89/100 short stories

100+ Reading Challenge
Completed 95/150 books

Art History Reading Challenge
Completed 1/3 books

Christy Awards Challenge
Completed 0/3 books

Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge
Completed 6/8 books

Countdown Challenge
Completed 54/55 books

EW Summer Books Challenge
Completed 1/5 books

POC Reading Challenge
Completed 6/9 books

Read the Book, See the Movie Challenge
Completed 1/2 book/movies

Reading From My Shelves Challenge
Completed 20/20 books – just need to give them all away

South Asian Author Challenge
Completed 1/3 books

Support Your Local Library Challenge
Completed 41/50 books

TwentyTen Reading Challenge
Completed 18/20 books

War Through the Generations Challenge
Completed 3/5 books

What’s in a Name? Challenge
Completed 3/6 books

Women Unbound Challenge
Completed 6/7 books

Other bookish posts this week:

~ Announcing the first annual INSPY Awards
~ Mini-reviews: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro; The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King; Genesis by Bernard Beckett; and The Likeness by Tana French
~ Book Review: The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry
~ Found in the pages of Bookmarks Magazine, July/August 2010 edition

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(In honor of Father’s Day, I thought I would re-post this list of my Dad’s favorite reads. Happy Father’s Day, Dad and Kevin – and all the rest of you dads out there.)

Dad and I have similar taste when it comes to reading, especially in science fiction and fantasy. I also have read my share of Dad’s Louis L’Amour novels, and although I rarely read westerns anymore, I did enjoy them. My dad isn’t big on being the center of attention, but he humored his blog-obsessed daughter with a list of his favorite reads. I’ve added either a publisher’s blurb or my thoughts or both.

Bendigo Shafter by Louis L’Amour
Blurb: “At what point does a group of strangers become a community? When young Bendigo Shafter and a ragtag bunch of travelers settle in the rugged Wyoming mountains, they quickly come to depend on a toughness and wisdom many of them never knew they possessed. Led by the beautiful and resourceful widow Ruth Macken, the settlers battle harsh winters, renegade opportunists, and the destructive lure of gold. Through these brutally demanding experiences, young Bendigo is forged into a man. But when he travels to New York to reclaim the love of Ninon, his childhood sweetheart, Bendigo is faced with new challenges. Will hard-edged instincts, honed from years in the mountains, serve him in the big city? Does Ninon’s heart belong to the lights and glamour of the theater? And if his destiny deems it so, will he be willing to leave the community he toiled so long and hard to build?”
My thoughts: “I enjoyed this one very much when I read it many years ago – in high school, I think.”

Comstock Lode by Louis L’Amour
Blurb: “It was just a godforsaken mountainside, but no place on earth was richer in silver. For a bustling, enterprising America, this was the great bonanza. The dreamers, the restless, the builders, the vultures—they were lured by the glittering promise of instant riches and survived the brutal hardships of a mining camp to raise a legendary boom town. But some sought more than wealth. Val Trevallion, a loner haunted by a violent past. Grita Redaway, a radiantly beautiful actress driven by an unfulfilled need. Two fiercely independent spirits, together they rose above the challenges of the Comstock to stake a bold claim on the future.”
My thoughts: “Another one I remember enjoying, but it’s been a long time.”

The Conrad Stargard Series by Leo Frankowski
My thoughts: “A boyfriend in college introduced me to the Conrad Stargard series, beginning with The Cross-Time Engineer. Conrad is a Polish engineer who suddenly finds himself transported to Poland in the 13th century. He uses his engineering smarts to build a life – and also to try to build up Poland’s defenses against the upcoming Mongol invasion. These are humorous and inventive – and if you can get past the author’s love of lusty, always-willing women – they are a great ride.”

Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Blurb: “A monster on the loose in New York City’s American Museum of Natural History provides the hook for this high-concept, high-energy thriller. A statue of the mad god Mbwun, a monstrous mix of man and reptile, was discovered by a Museum expedition to South America in 1987. Now, it is about to become part of the new Superstition Exhibition at the museum (here renamed the “New York Museum of Natural History”). But as the exhibition’s opening night approaches, the museum may have to be shut down due to a series of savage murders that seem to be the work of a maniac-or a living version of Mbwun. When the museum’s director pulls strings to ensure that the gala affair takes place, it’s up to a small band of believers, led by graduate student Margo Green, her controversial adviser and an FBI agent who investigated similar killings in New Orleans, to stop the monster-if the culprit is indeed a monster-from going on a rampage. Less horror then action-adventure, the narrative builds to a superbly exciting climax, and then offers a final twist to boot. With its close-up view of museum life and politics, plausible scientific background, sharply drawn characters and a plot line that’s blissfully free of gratuitous romance, this well-crafted novel offers first-rate thrills and chills.”
My thoughts: “I haven’t read this, but I know the entire series is one of Dad’s favorites.”

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Blurb: “When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.”
My thoughts: “I absolutely loved this YA dystopian novel (my review), and passed my ARC on to Dad. He loved it, too – and we’re both waiting impatiently for the sequel.”

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Whew – it has been a busy weekend! We had dinner with friends’ Friday night, took the kids to a fishing derby yesterday, and then today we are celebrating Noah’s 12th birthday. You know what that means, right? There are currently six boys, ages 8 to 12, in my living room, playing on the Wii and making all sorts of boy noises.

In the middle of all this busy-ness, though, I did manage to finish two books this weekend: The Likeness by Tana French and Genesis by Bernard Beckett. I loved them both – reviews to come.

The cool thing about a boys’ slumber party, as opposed to a girls’ slumber party, is that it requires very little of me: setting the timer for turns on the Wii and putting out food at frequent intervals. In between, I get to blog or read. I’m hoping to make some headway in Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show. It’s very good so far, but I set it aside for a bit due to the fact that I couldn’t put The Likeness down. I’m also hoping to start Laurie R. King’s The Language of Bees.

What are you doing this Sunday? Reading anything good?

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Does your mood affect the kind of book you want to read? Has there ever been a book you thought you didn’t like and then picked up later, only to discover that you loved it?

When I tried to read Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver a few years ago, I made it to page 100 and then set it aside. I really did not like it at all. But so many people call this one of their absolute favorite novels, that I have started to think I should give it another try. Perhaps it was just my mood at the time that made me react so negatively to it.

I’ve been thinking about how my mood affects my reading choices lately, because I gave up on China Meiville’s The City and the City this week. I have read many glowing reviews of this book, and I love the premise, so I fully expected to fall in love with it. Instead, I found myself disoriented and confused, and not in the mood to put in the time to read far enough to figure out what was going on. I like to think I’ve become less stringent in my reading reactions, however, because unlike my decision to set aside Poisonwood Bible permanently, I fully intend to give The City and the City a try at another time – a time when I’m not stressed out from end-of-school-year craziness and longing for escapist reading.

When I set it aside, I picked up two books I am almost 100 percent sure I will love, because of my prior experience with the authors: Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, and Locked Rooms: Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes Series Book 8 by Laurie R. King. And I am thoroughly enjoying them – they are taking me away from my hormone-related irritation with my spring-fever riddled kids.

Do you consciously pick books based on your mood? Are there certain books or authors you turn to when you need to fit a specific mood?

Other bookish posts this week:

~ Book Review: The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran
~ Book Review: A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
~ Book Review: Get Lucky by Katherine Center
~ Book Review: One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
~ Book Review: The Heart is Not a Size by Beth Kephart

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