Summer Reading is Over; What I'm Excited About Reading in the Fall

Summer zipped right by, and here we are, September 1st. It's been a particularly hot and humid summer in Iowa, and I can't wait to shut the air conditioning off and enjoy sleeping with cooler nights. I've got a few short weeks left to enjoy my back deck, which became my favorite reading spot this summer. Nothing like sitting outside listening to birds chirp while relaxing and reading on the weekend. 

I've thought back on what I had on my TBR list for the summer, and what do you know? I didn't read a lot of those books. They're all still sitting on my shelves, waiting. But I read some great books, and discovered a few authors I hadn't read before: Jane Harper and Laura Madeline. I also rediscovered my love for John Bellairs, and read a fantastic thriller by Heather Gudenkauf, an Iowa author. So while the biography about Leonardo Da Vinci still gathers dust, and I missed reading Prairie Fires (Laura Ingalls Wilder), I did make a start on Circe, by Madeline Miller. It reminds me of my teen years, and my fascination with Edith Hamilton's Mythology book. 

I'm still plugging away at my piles, which don't seem to go down. Not a bad problem to have, right? But there are new releases coming out this Fall that have me chomping at the bit. I thought I'd share what I'm excited about reading  for the rest of 2018--new titles that are coming soon!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about Time's Convert. The U.S. sale date is September 18 and you can bet I will be buying a copy that day. If you haven't read A Discovery of Witches, you are missing out! Read the trilogy, then read this. It's a branch off the original, dazzling, amazing novels. 

Kate Atkinson. Life After Life is one of my favorite novels. This novel returns to World War 2, and is a spy thriller. I can't wait to dive into the talented writing of Kate Atkinson. Due out in the U.S. September 25th. 

 I first read Signe Pike years ago, when she wrote a non-fiction book about fairies. I've been waiting to hear more from her, and here it is! First in a trilogy, a magical novel about a forgotten Scottish Queen: Languoreth.  It's out on Tuesday, September 4th.  I'm ready to delve into some magic. 

Kate Morton. Solid stories, historical novels that I've always enjoyed. It seems like a long time since her last novel. This one, set in England, involves murder, artists, and an archivist in modern day London discovering pieces to a 150 year old puzzle. Released in the U.S. on October 6th. 

It's going to be an awesome Fall with these talented authors. If I'm really good, and I read faithfully, I should be able to read each one as they come out. I'm saving my pennies because these are all novels I want to keep. 

What are you looking forward to reading?  Share!  I'd love to hear from you. 

Happy reading everyone! 

via GIPHY

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Summer Reading is Over; What I'm Excited About Reading in the Fall

Summer Reading: Make a List or Just Wing it?

Let's face it: every season is a good time to read. I must confess, I read lighter, "happy" reads during the summer. Fall brings out the darker, creepier reads for me, followed by Christmas, when I like to read holiday stories. Spring, so far, has been a catch-all. Three book groups have upped my must-read book list each month. 

 It's finally warming up in Iowa--65 today! and everyone is busy running around outside trying to get in the yard work we usually accomplish in late March. Now I've got to figure out just how I can work in the yard, run, and still have time to relax and read on the back deck. It's my first year with a lovely deck to sit and chill, and I can't wait to sit outside in the early summer mornings, read and relax. When the sun moves around, and it gets too hot, I'll move myself to my front porch. I'm pretty lucky to have both.  

As always, I'm faced with a pile of books that I've accumulated over the months, and haven't read, and I'm struggling with the idea of making a list for the summer, or just diving in and grabbing what sounds good at any given moment.  I'm leaning towards making a list, if only so I may tick them off as the summer progresses.  I've got a few ambitious titles to read:  Leonardo Da Vinci's biography by Walter Isaacson, a Kurt Vonnegut novel (I've never read anything of his), Prairie Fires (a 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner), and a few favorite authors that I've neglected: Kevin Hearne, Sandra Dallas, Paula Brackston, and many more.  It may be time to break out the Excel spreadsheet!

Do you read longer books during the summer, or lighter, quick reads?  What do you take on vacation? Do you have a book you absolutely must read this summer? 

I'll be posting my May reads list this week; I consider May the start of summer reading, so I'll be curious to see what books I've chosen from my bookshelves at home, library, and the bookstore. Lots to choose from, and three book group selections to include in that mix. 

Cheers and happy reading!

Sue

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Summer Reading: Make a List or Just Wing it?

DNF's, Summer Reading Update, and a Couple Quick Fly-By Reviews

Oh July. The gateway to August, back to school, and that short skip into the holidays.  Yes. I said it.  👻💀

Another summer galloping by and my book stacks remain teetering with no inroads made.  Yes, I've been reading.  Library books and ARCs and not actually anything I own!  Funny how that happens.  

I thought I'd combine a whole bunch of book business into one post.  It's helping me clear my head and create some space for new reads. One glaring omission in my reading pattern lately: science fiction/fantasy.  I'm missing it terribly, so I hope to dip into a few titles in a few weeks to relax and reconnect to a genre I really do enjoy.

Onto business!  First, a couple of DNF's:

A novel about a young woman who sees the deceased, and an unsolved murder that puts her in danger?  Sign me up!  But I checked it out of the library, started reading it, and lost interest.  Subject matter is just a bit too dark for me right now.  Maybe I'll return to it again in the future. My duh moment was realizing the front cover shows a young woman...for some reason I kept seeing a tropical flower.  Call me clueless.  Not a good sign of my attention span for this book.  

This book.  Dang it.  I was so excited to read this, especially after visiting Italy last October.  I got about 100 pages in, and the overarching sense of doom finally got to me.  A slave known for his culinary skills becomes the secret weapon of Apicius, a wealthy Roman man determined to become the Emperor's favorite noble.  But lord, the schemes, murders, plotting, and complete disregard for life got a bit old!  I loved the culinary aspect (I can say I wouldn't have eaten most of what they put together--meat and fruit: argh!!) but the political machinations and cruelty just wore on me.  I'll try again in the future, because I'm fascinated by the idea of this novel.  

Now, onto a few quick reviews:

I've had this hardcover on my bookshelf at home for a year.  I've wanted to read it, but just didn't squeeze it in until I saw it was available as an audio book through my library.  Took me two weeks to listen to this incredible memoir of Mary Hamilton, a woman who lived from 1866-1936 and had an extraordinarily tough, tragic, and what many might see as a poor life.  But listening to Mary's memoir, I was awed by her grit, her determination to make a home wherever she was, and her efforts to raise her children as good, descent, and kind people.  She was a force to be reckoned with, and withstood more tragedy than any one person should ever be expected to live through.  I highly recommend this book--either the paperback, or the audio.  No pictures in the book, however.  Her memoirs were first printed in the 1930's.  Rating: 5/6 because pioneer women rock!!

On a completely different track, this book is unusual in its narrator.  You never know his name, but you get to know him very well.  He's an unborn baby (about 3 weeks shy of his due date) who hears, in utero, his mother and her lover plot to murder his father for his inheritance.  Yes, a baby.  One smart, scarily brilliant baby with a taste for wine (his mother drinks a lot of white wine) and podcasts. 

It sounds amusing, and on the surface it is, until you read this short tale and are disturbed by his helplessness in stopping what will happen to his father, and his pondering on living life in jail with his mother.  There are many philosophical moments, and Ian McEwan is a high-caliber writer. However, the little twists make this a very interesting read. It makes you wonder just what babies do hear, feel, and think inside the womb.  A friend recommended this novel, and I'm glad I plugged away at it.  It's not long at all in terms of pages, but can be a bit gloomy in the subject matter.  This made it a book to read in chunks, rather than in a rush.  Rating:  4/6 for a uniquely narrated thriller.  What harm do we do to the most innocent?  Available in hardcover and e-book. 

So, I've been busy. This summer most of my books haven't hit that sweet spot of satisfaction I was hoping for, but I haven't lost hope. I've got many more to go before September hits.  I've over halfway to my reading goal for 2017 and it helps keep me on track.  

What books are you reading this summer?  Anything out of the ordinary for you?

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DNF's, Summer Reading Update, and a Couple Quick Fly-By Reviews