Last month I did "Books I've Always Meant to Read," and got a fair way through my backlog of older reads that I've been putting off in favor of recent releases and review books. I had some time to listen to audiobooks as well, which helped me check off extra things, like The Lost City of Z and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Of my print books, my favorites were probably Assaf Gavron's Almost Dead and Sandra Cisneros's Caramelo. I weeded my bookshelves last week, rediscovered some buried treasures and made another list of "Meant to Reads" for the next time. Edward P. Jones's The Known World is at the tip-top.
You may have noticed the new banner on my blog; I have another challenge that I've set for myself for the month of July. Apart from two Europas and my monthly Booker read, I'm going to read all science fiction this month. I have a very ambitious reading list and while I know I won't finish all of it, I'll at least make a dent! My (flexible) list includes
- How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, by Charles Yu (just finished),
- Song of Time, by Ian R. MacLeod,
- The Wind-up Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi (reading now),
- Big Machine, by Victor Lavalle,
- The Alchemy of Stone, by Ekaterina Sedia,
- Yellow Blue Tibia, by Adam Roberts (yes, I know the title is a Russian pun),
- The Stone Gods, by Jeannette Winterson, and
- Embassytown, by China Miéville.
Today? Today I'm reading the Bacigalupi I'm enjoying it so far although it's really different for me. It's rather violent and also very sexually explicit, two things I don't normally go out of my way for but that's okay. This week, to kick things off, Mr. Boston Bibliophile will share his list of recommended science fiction/fantasy "beach books" for your light sf reading pleasure. And in a couple of weeks we'll both be off to Readercon to pick up more ideas- and more books!
Have a great Sunday! More Sunday Salon here.
Lol, I love the new freaky Alien look
ReplyDeleteThat little Marie image in your header scared me!!! I thought it was an accident, and that demons had invaded your blog! I'm going to vote for you to read the Mieville. I'm really tempted by that one!
ReplyDeleteYour header made me laugh! I'm not much for science fiction, so I admire your goal. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAs usual, you are off in so many directions that I don't know where to comment first!
ReplyDeleteI'll go with the science fiction, I suppose. Can't wait to see what you think about venturing off in that direction. And you are committed....just look at your header!
LOLOLOLOL the header is too funny. I'm not a huge SciFi fan but go for it.
ReplyDeleteCute addition to your header! I also wanted to say I love the Europa Challenge idea. I'm not looking to add any challenges right now, but I'll be following the blog posts with interest to learn more about Europa.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't make it past the female abuse at the beginning of Windup Girl, but I loved Ship Breaker, and thought that Windup Girl sounded a bit like a darker, more adult version of Ship Breaker, so that I could make do with Ship Breaker! :--)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear what you think of Embassytown - I've heard nothing but good things about it (although truthfully, I don't think I've ever read a negative review of Mieville!)
The new banner makes me smile :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the new header, and glad it wasn't a demon infestation like Sandy first thought! *L*
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the new banner previously, but thanks for pointing it out. Hopefully, it's only temporary, though, because I like your "regular" banner. It's just so you.
ReplyDeleteSo what did you think of Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee? If you wrote about it, sorry, I must have missed it. It's been a while since I read it, but I believe I enjoyed it for the most part. It was fascinating learning about Native American history.
Unfinished, I thought BURY MY HEART was staggering, essential reading. Really incredible. I learned so much.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're able to get to Big Machine. It's been sitting on my shelves since its publication. Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteI bought How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe for my husband for Christmas, and he finished it a few months ago and liked it. I also have The Wind-Up Girl on my shelves, and have been rather curious about it since I picked it up. I also have been meaning to read more Mieville as well. I sense a shopping trip coming up!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited you're reading science fiction! I haven't read any of the books you listed, so I'll be interested to see what you think.
ReplyDeleteWhat an impressive list. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteWhat an impressive list. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteCrazy woman! That header is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteYour new header is so cool; love it. Congrats on the great reading month for June.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to spend the month of July! I tried to read Wind-Up Girl and couldn't get past page 100. I hope you like it more than I did. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll be cheering on by reading at least two books on your list: The Stone Gods and Big Machine. As per Europa challenge, I need to see what the indies' offerings are.
ReplyDeleteLove the header for your scifi month! And I admire the monthly bookish goal setting - you're very organized!
ReplyDeleteI've yet to read BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE. I can picture exactly where that book sat on my grandparents' bookshelf, isn't that odd?!
fun banner look! and a great list of books. My husband was reading The Windup Girl while I was reading ShipBreaker. I think I got the easier read out of the two, but we enjoyed discussing their similarities.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great month of reading! looking forward to your thoughts on these.
~L (omphaloskepsis)
fun banner look! and a great list of books. My husband was reading The Windup Girl while I was reading ShipBreaker. I think I got the easier read out of the two, but we enjoyed discussing their similarities.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great month of reading! looking forward to your thoughts on these.
~L (omphaloskepsis)