I don’t know how we got to the end of July already! I’m not complaining too much though. The next month and a half may be crunch time for my dissertation, but then it will be over and I will get married and enter the glorious world of (un)employment. I can’t get (or even apply for) a full-time job over here until we get married and I get a new visa, fingers crossed, so I’m going to have at least a month of scoping out what’s around and doing not much else. Maybe temping, because I can do part-time, but I’ve heard that the employment offices are overrun with applicants, so I’m not going to have any expectations.
In retrospect, I have had one great reading month. In the beginning of the month, I read a lot from my own collection and the library. In the second half of the month, I went home and got my ARCs, which resulted in a burst of unexpectedly fabulous reads. I think I’ve read a good variety of books, too. Because many others have been writing where they got their recent books (starting with Marie), I thought I’d do that too. Here’s how it breaks down (I hope no one minds that I just mixed the YA in with the adult reads):
Literary Fiction
- Possession, A.S. Byatt – I bought this in a used bookstore, don’t remember why.
- In the Wake of the Boatman, Jonathan Scott Fuqua – Received for review from Bancroft Press.
- Nothing but Ghosts, Beth Kephart – Bought new for online book club and for My Friend Amy‘s book drive.
- The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway – Borrowed from library on a variety of recommendations.
Women’s Fiction
- Last Light Over Carolina, Mary Alice Monroe – Received for review for a blog tour.
- Every Last Cuckoo, Kate Maloy – Received for review and for an online book club.
- Secrets to Happiness, Sarah Dunn – Received for review.
Historical Fiction
- The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough – Bought used because I liked the author.
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley – Received for review from Amazon Vine.
- The Spies of Warsaw, Alan Furst – Received for review for a blog tour hosted by Pump Up Your Book promotions.
- The Servants’ Quarters, Lynn Freed – Received for review from Amazon Vine.
- Twilight of Avalon, Anna Elliott – Received for review from author.
- Pope Joan, Donna Woolfolk Cross – Bought used because it sounded good; reviewed after author’s request.
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne – Borrowed from the library after Bethany’s review.
- The Luxe, Anna Godbersen – Borrowed from the library after a review from Beth Fish Reads.
- The Book of Unholy Mischief, Elle Newmark – Received for review for a blog tour.
Fantasy/Sci-fi
- The Last Colony, John Scalzi – Bought new to continue a series.
- Zoe’s Tale, John Scalzi – see above.
- Doomsday Book, Connie Willis – Bought used because it sounded good.
- The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie – Borrowed from the library because of buzz on twitter.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling – I have two copies of this, both bought new, one paperback and one hardcover. I basically killed the paperback by reading too much and now I read the hardcover.
- Naamah’s Kiss, Jacqueline Carey – Received for review from Hachette after the wonderful Miriam Parker discovered I was interested.
- Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs – Bought new to continue a series.
Historical Romance
- To Catch an Heiress, Julia Quinn – Borrowed from the library in a mission to read Julia Quinn’s backlist.
- To Beguile a Beast, Elizabeth Hoyt – Received for review from Hachette.
- The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Jennifer Ashley – Received for review from Dorchester.
- This Duchess of Mine, Eloisa James – Bought new to continue a series.
- A Hint of Wicked, Jennifer Haymore – Passed on from the wonderful Keira at Love Romance Passion.
- Highland Rebel, Judith James – Received for review from Sourcebooks.
Nonfiction/Memoir
- Bonk, Mary Roach – Borrowed from the library because of mainly LibraryThing buzz.
- First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria, Eve Brown-Waite – Received from Amazon Vine for review.
- American Lion, Jon Meacham – Received for review for a blog tour from Pump Up Your Book promotions.
So, that’s
- 15 books for review
- 6 books from the library
- 5 books bought new
- 4 books bought used
- 1 book from another blogger
I said I was going to slow down my reading this month and I completely lied. What I really wanted was more fantasy and sci-fi, which I was able to fulfill without slowing down my reading pace. I read 31 books, the most ever. Slightly less than half of those books were sent to me for review. I don’t think that’s typical; I normally read more of my own books. I read more this month simply because they gathered at home and I owe a lot of reviews, so I’m doing my best to dispense my obligations. My blog would undoubtedly exist just fine without review copies; I’d have posted the 19 reviews of my own and library books which are sitting in the queue! I probably would have written the 7 I have left as well. Have I mentioned that I read too much yet?
Today, I’m looking forward to continuing The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall. It hasn’t totally clicked for me yet, but I hope it will soon since I have one of its sequels for review. And I’m really looking forward to my online book club tonight, when we’ll be discussing Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart, a seriously wonderful read.
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