June Retrospective

 It's possible that I've never been so busy in my life as I have been this summer. There is something to be said for being busy, however. Thomas is becoming quite the swimmer and both Ryan and I are getting a lot of physical activity in too. Next summer it is very likely we'll be watching Thomas in swim meets and that's a wonderful thing. 

I read 11 books this month which is strictly still on my 125 book goal but it's much less than I've been reading. This is a bit of a mixed bag. Honestly, there are times when I think I read too much and I've been working to pull it back to balance with other aspects of my life. Additionally, it's a little deceptive. I've fully read 11 books, but I'm also in the middle of four other books. I'm midway through 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Republic of Pirates, and Making Grades Matter. All excellent books but denser than a lot of my reading and taking more time. Also, I'm about 50 pages away from the end of The Three-Body Problem. So, yeah hundreds of pages there.

My favorite read this month was probably Matt Ruff's 88 Names which is a fun piece of cyberpunk worth of William Gibson and a surprisingly quick read. A close second place was The House of Many Ways  by Diana Wynn Jones. While technically part of the Howl's Moving Castle world, there's no reason you couldn't just start with this one. It's that good.  Honorable mentions go to An Unnecessary Woman and The Mere Wife. In both cases, a well written book with an engaging and meaningful plot. Unfortunately, both books seriously messed with my emotional state. Truly effective writing but I can't say I "loved" reading them. 

A good month over all :-)

June List

All hail the coming of the summer! (Thank God!) If I follow trends, I'll probably read a great deal less than in the stressful months at the end of the school year, which is fine...I'm almost two months ahead on pacing for the year. In acknowledgement of that, this list is different from most of my monthly lists in a couple of ways. First, to avoid getting into a rut on options, Ryan picked four of the books, and he definitely picked books I hadn't really considered lol. Second, unlike most of my lists, this one is about a third non-fiction. I actually like non-fiction, yet somehow I don't make a lot of time for it. I had already picked five out for the list and Ryan added another three. Third, most of what is on here, between the nonfiction and non-YA, will take more time to read than most of what I've been up to lately. It's definitely time to slow down and savor.

Here's to having a restful summer!

The List:

1. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine (Mom recommendation) (Finished 6/4/2021)
2. Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman (Valentines Gift from Ryan)
3. Made in America by Bill Bryson
4. Candy Girl by Diablo Cody (Ryan's Pick)
5. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Christmas Gift)
6. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
7. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
8. Ever After by Kim Harrison (Finished 6/24/2021)
9. The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley (TBR) (Finished 6/11/2021)
10. The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess - Put aside for later. Somehow this just hasn't ended up grabbing me....most of the advice is good but not applicable to my situation
11. Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen (Ryan's Pick)
12. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynn Jones (Borrowed from Carra) (Finished 6/9/2021)
13. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynn Jones (Finished 6/4/2021)
14. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller - Put aside (Sorry Ryan) It turns out I've read it and have a pretty clear memory of it. It's staying in the collection though for now, or at least until I find it a new home.
15. Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
16. By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey (Finished 6/2/2021)
17. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
18. 88 Names by Matt Ruff (Finished 6/5/2021)
19. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
20. Making Grades Matter by Matt Townsley and Nathan Wear (Professional Development)
21. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
22. Fables vol 17: Inherit the Wind by Bill Willingham (Finished 6/5/2021)
23. Fables vol 18: Cubs in Toyland by Bill Willingham (Finished 6/5/2021)
24. Jack of Fables vol 7: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack by Bill Willingham (Finished 6/3/2021)
25. Jack of Fables vol 8: The Fulminate Blade by Bill Willingham (Finished 6/3/2021)
26. Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf (Professional Development)
27. The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard (Ryan's Pick)