I thought I did pretty well in July with my reading. I read 25 books and I didn’t do much else that month. This month, I started a new, albeit temporary, job. I still managed to read 22 books. I’m pleased with that number; it’s good to know that I can be busy and still remain dedicated to reading and blogging consistently. It bodes well for October, when I will be off to graduate school, assuming all goes well for the next month.
So, here’s what I read this month, separated by category and linked in to my reviews:
Fiction:
- The Gargoyle – Andrew Davidson
- The Sea – John Banville
- Erotomania – Francis Levy
- When We Were Romans - Matthew Kneale
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- The 19th Wife – David Ebershoff
- Dog Eats Dog – Iain Levinson
Fantasy
- Excalibur – Bernard Cornwell
- The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
- The Last Enchantment – Mary Stewart
- The Blue Sword – Robin McKinley
Historical Fiction
- Sweetsmoke – David Fuller
- The Queen’s Tale – D.J. Birmingham
- Devil’s Brood – Sharon Kay Penman (review coming in October)
- Guernica – Dave Boling
- Midwife of the Blue Ridge - Christine Blevins
Short Stories
- Months and Seasons - Christopher Meeks
Non-fiction/History/Memoir
- Sweet Mandarin - Helen Tse
- Marie-Therese, Child of Terror – Susan Nagel
- Resistance – Agnes Humbert
Fluffy fiction
- Schooled - Anisha Lakhani
- Garden Spells – Sarah Addison Allen
My favorite this month is unquestionably The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This book just sucked me right in and refused to let me go as I fell in love with every single aspect of it. It’s my number one for the year right now and I wish I could fall right back into it and read it again right now. Alas, other books wait. If you want to experience this, you can buy this book on Amazon.
I read a lot of other great books this month, and they warrant another mention too. I loved unreservedly The Gargoyle
Thanks to all who visited this month, and here’s to another great reading month in September for all of us!
Holy cow! That’s almost a book a day. I thought I read fast, but you make me look like a snail.
I pale in your reading schedule. You also need to add how much you wrote. Your blog is testament to that. The fact you read my book “Months and Seasons,” enjoyed it, analyzsed it, wrote about it, and rated it so high among twenty-two books, I’m in awe. Thank you.
I like reading this wrap up you do each month … I may join you sometime, it would be interesting for me to look at how my reading breaks down across genres like this.
I second Christopher Meeks’ comment, it’s not just the reading, but the analyzing and writing you do that you should credit yourself for!
I had to add that you, too, Dawn read a great deal and analyze well on your site, “She Is Too Fond of Books.” In fact, anyone reading this, Dawn’s review at http://sheistoofondofbooks.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/book-review-months-and-seasons-by-christopher-meeks/ goes hand-in-hand with what Meghan writes here in the review above. I’ve discovered over the last month an amazing handful of reviewers who devote huge chunks of their lives to finding and trumpeting great books.
–Christopher Meeks (http://www.redroom.com/author/christopher-meeks)