Thursday, July 03, 2008

June Wrap-Up

I can see I've fallen way too far behind to review absolutely everything I read in June, so I'm going to do a wrap-up of everything I completed and move on. I've provided links to the four books I've reviewed. I may dip backwards if I manage to catch up with myself, but we'll just have to see. So, without further ado, my reads during the month of June:

1. Mrs. Lieutenant - Phyllis Zimbler Miller
2. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior - Ori and Rom Brafman (I liked this one so much that I plan to reread it, so I'll review it in the future . . . assuming my husband ever gives it back)
3. The Well-Fed Self-Publisher - Peter Bowerman
4. Simple Genius (audio) - David Baldacci - didn't care for it
5. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert - really enjoyed this one
6. Overcoming Hurts and Anger - Dwight L. Carson, M.D. - interesting book from my mother's collection
7. Facts the Historians Leave Out: A Confederate Primer - John S. Tilley - very interesting history told from the Confederate viewpoint; also from my mother's shelves
8. In the Land of Dreamy Dreams - Ellen Gilchrist - excellent; hope to find time to review this one - read for the Southern Reading Challenge
9. Return from Tomorrow - George Ritchie - a little hard to swallow
10. Early Widow - Mary Jane Worden - gut-wrenching, but well-written
11. The Queen of Sleepy Eye - Patti Hill (ARC -- thanks, Brittanie!) - very good, especially loved the ending
12. The Book of Dahlia - Elisa Albert - (ARC from Simon & Schuster) - good job of portraying the human side of cancer but the heroine was just nasty, so I can't say I loved it
13. Human Voices - Penelope Fitzgerald - excellent and very funny, although I had trouble getting used to the author's style
14. Sermons & Soda Water - John O'Hara - loved his writing style, but the characters were very political and I don't know much about politics of the 30's, so it became a bit tiresome
15. Entropy - Anthony Lawrence Gordon
16. Letters of a Woman Homesteader - Elinore Pruitt Stewart

I didn't quite finish the second audio I listened to, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. It's very good, though, and I'll finish it the next time I have to drive a long distance.

Currently reading:

Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser (just arrived -- thanks, Brittanie!)
The Questory of Root Karbunkulus by Kamilla Reid (watch for sticky post giveaway of an autographed copy of this book -- coming next)

Eldest is coming for the weekend and we'll be helping his girlfriend move to her new home in Madison, MS (just an hour's drive from us -- might be seeing a bit more of the eldest in the coming year). Also, we'll be giving him our toaster or buying him a new one.

Note to my sister: A toaster will not sell a house. Just had to get that off my chest. Sister doesn't read blogs. I should probably be grateful.

Happy Independence Day to readers in the U.S.! And, a Happy Belated Canada Day to our neighbors in Canada!

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:59 PM

    Mrs. Lt. What did I do with this? I picked it up to read it. Stupid Hollow Crown.

    Return From Tomorrow - hard to swallow how? Plot?

    How's your back? BTW, a toaster is the dealbreaker for most homes. So there. :)

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  2. Carrie,

    Find that book; I want to hear your thoughts. We're all airheads after 40.

    Return from Tomorrow is much like 90 Minutes in Heaven - man dies, his spirit tries to float to where he planned to go on the train the next day, realizes he's dead as he hits (get this) Vicksburg, Mississippi (although he didn't know it was Vicksburg till he drove through and had a deja vu experience), turns around and sees his dead self, goes to the gates of heaven with Jesus and then is really pissed off when he has to come back to life.

    Back is so-so. It gets better, it gets worse. If I take muscle relaxants constantly, I seem to feel much better. I don't really want to do that, though.

    Hahahaha. Right.

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  3. I am trying very hard not to be jealous. Fourteen books? Good grief.

    And I agree with Carrie. There's absolutely no way I could ever buy a house without a toaster...

    Is there an 'ick' factor to using some toaster left behind in a house for anyone besides me?

    cjh

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  4. CJ,

    Empty house. Other person's book collection with loads of tempting books I hadn't ever thought to pick up. Bliss. That's all I have to say. :)

    As to the toaster . . . I was rendered speechless for a bit, when my sister said, "You can take the cover, but leave the toaster." I finally said, "Uh, why?" Her answer: "I don't think we should take appliances out of the house, yet." The only real problem I had with that (besides the fact that it's insane) is that I'd let her cart off loads of stuff because her daughter is just setting up housekeeping. My son asked for two things -- a toaster and a casserole dish. That's it. Fortunately, I'd already taken the casserole dish and packed it away. Imagine if she told me I could take the cover, but leave the bottom part of the casserole dish behind. It could happen. LOL

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  5. Happy Fourth, Bookfool! Have a great time with the eldest and the rest of the family!

    By the way, glad you liked Eat, Pray and Love. Me? I mostly like the Eat part...the rest? Not so much.

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  6. Bellezza,

    Thanks! Same to you!

    I'm so not surprised you loved the "eat" portion. It was my favorite part, too. I had a lot of trouble getting into "pray", but thought it improved. "Love" had a bit of that "really didn't need to know about your sex life, dear" stuff, but I still enjoyed her thoughts.

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  7. You really kicked it during June, inter-state travel and all!

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  8. Why, thank you, Bybee. :)

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  9. A great reading month! Happy 4th of July and have a great weekend :)

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  10. Nymeth,

    Thanks. I thought so, too. :)

    Thank you! I hope you and your crew have a fabulous weekend!

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  11. I hear you on being behind on book reviews - I think I need to just be like you and move on! :)
    I've want to read Human Voices. The few books I've read by Fitzgerald have been so good that I'd like to read more.

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  12. Iliana,

    I think sometimes it's best to just move on, although there was a lot I'd like to have shared about several of those books.

    Human Voices is wonderful! I enjoyed it so much that when I happened across another Penelope Fitgerald book in the remainders -- The Beginning of Spring -- I snatched it right up without a second thought. I'm glad to know you've enjoyed her writing!

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  13. Wow! Great reading month!

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