Hullo, hullo again! I cannot believe we’re already through July (when did that happen?!). I feel like just yesterday I was thinking, oh, I’ve got the whole summer to get X, Y, and Z done. No worries! And now I’m in full-out panic mode realizing that there is JUST ONE MONTH LEFT to go and I feel like I haven’t made a dent in anything. *sigh*
But I DID finish four books in July, so I’ll take my wins where I can. This month, I (finally) finished two of my long-term hold-over books (Clockwork Angel and The Everyday Parenting Toolkit), and two others (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Seductive Poison). I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction this year, and almost no graphic novels, so August may be the month of graphic novels. I’ve got quite a few lined up I’ve been wanting to read, so we’ll see. I also need, need, need to get back into fiction more. I’m feeling the lack of it in my own writing (kind of like literary dehydration–things just get dry, chalky, grating, essentially non-flowing), and I need to be prepped for September when hopefully I’ll be starting the dreaded (and much anticipated) DRAFT TWO of the YA dark fantasy novel, working title “Frosthaven”. I also need to read more short fiction (like…a lot…), so I’ll have to see about fitting some of that in, too.
But for now, my list is slightly lightened, and I’ve added a couple new books that I’ve just started.
Notes:
Going Clear – A good chunk of the way into this one, but got side-tracked by the slightly more applicable Seductive Poison (a memoir by a Jonestown surviver). But it has been very interesting, so I do intend to wrap this one up this month. I’m learning a lot I did. not. know. about Scientology.
Making Your Own Days – Haven’t picked this one up again recently, but I do intend to! It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I just need to make some quiet time.
Damn Fine Story – Picking away at this one. I’ve gotten bogged down in it for some reason–all the information is good, it’s just…I don’t know. I’m struggling to wade through it all, which is a shame. I probably really NEED to read this one before September…
Enchanted – Just picked this one up, but I’ve had it on my to-read shelf foreeeeeever. I really like Alethea Kontis’ short fiction, and I’ve been meaning to read this one for literally years, and have never been able to donate it when my inevitable book purges roll through, so this is the year I read it! Just one chapter in, but so far, it’s very much living up to Ms. Kontis’ charming storytelling style.
The Year’s Best DF&H 2014 – ……..still no progress. But that’s just me not making an effort. NEED to make an effort. Maybe I’ll try to finish this one this month, too. I could use the influence!
The Marriage of Cadmus & Harmony – Haven’t made much progress on this, but again, it’s not one I want to rush. Still, the two pages a day plan from June did help make some steady, comfortable progress in it, and I just need to get back to that.
The Book of Three – I——-love love love the Chronicles of Prydain (or in my house, the Prydain Chronicles, for some reason). This is the first in the five-book series, and I am SO excited to share them with my son. Lloyd Alexander consistantly surprises me with his straight-to-the-point writing and pacing, his character development, his no-nonsense descriptions that capture everything in a sentence or two–I mean, wow. I cannot even handle how much I love this book. We’re well over half-way through, and already Bug has mumbled about “crunchings and munchings” at snacktime. I think my heart almost exploded. This one will be done soon, since we usually read one or two chapters a night.
An Ocean of Air – Just picked this one up too, jonesing for an armchair science non-fiction book. I’ve only been through the prologue so far, but the writing is snappy, and I’ve already learned more about the atmosphere than I knew before. Can’t wait!
(I’ve also been jonesing for a Murakami book or a classic, so one of those my creep onto this list by the end of the month…)
Maggie Slater 