Has it really been almost three years since I've posted a monthly recap?! Near as I can tell, my last was in March of 2010. I think I stopped because it was too much work and I was constantly behind with my reviews and didn't want to post the summary until I could provide links to those reviews. Well, it's a new year and I have a new attitude. I'm going to color outside the lines! :) I'm going to list the books I've read and not worry about the links. The reviews will come in due time.
My January reading was focused primarily on selections from my shelves (with the exception of my audio books). As tempting as it is to read the newest or upcoming releases, I felt like spending the month sampling from my personal collection. The good news is that I cleared out a bunch of books from one of my shelves. The bad news is that I gave up on several before finally settling on one. Here's how the month ended:
Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon (audio) 2.5/5 (Meh)
Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiana 4/5 (Very Good)
Off the Grid by P.J. Tracy 4/5 (Very Good)
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin (audio) 4/5 (Very Good)
The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister 4.5/5 (Excellent)
DNFs
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
The Promise of Rest by Reynolds Price
Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
So how did I do with my plan to read from my personal library? Well, all of the DNF titles came from my shelves, but the only one in my completed stack is Milk Glass Moon. I borrowed Off the Grid on a whim and I had promised myself that I'd read my ARC of The Lost Art of Mixing before the hardcover was released on the 24th. I have an ARC of The Orchardist, but I only glanced at it once or twice (while listening to the audio) in order to mark a couple of passages.
But you're probably more interested in my thoughts on the books I read, rather than if I could follow through on my goal, right? Well, I'm hoping to get some reviews composed in the next few days, but suffice it to say that I was only disappointed in one of the books I finished.
My goal for February is to read from my stack of library books. Yep, I actually visited my local library for the first time in months! I was thrilled to find some books that I've been anxious to read, and I look forward to spending a guilt-free month supporting my public library system.
I wanted to read more from my shelves in February but this is pretty much the only month that I have review books that I agreed to last year, three in fact. But I feel pretty positive that I will enjoy them so I'm okay with that. This past week has been a weird one for me because I haven't really read much at all..only 51 pages into my current book and I've had it going about 5 days. It's not because I'm not liking the story but I think I'm suffering from Winter ADD!! :D
ReplyDeleteOne of the perks of working for B&N is all the ARCs available to booksellers. We have no obligation to review, just read! I no longer accept ARCs for review simply because I hate the pressure to read them on a set schedule. Maybe someday I'll have more time (and fewer books on my shelves) and be happy to review, but right now I'm quite content. :)
DeleteWinter ADD! Me, too! I haven't been reading much either. I picked up A Good American, which I had to set aside so I could read something that was due back to the library, and it's taking me a while to get interested. I've heard good things about the book, so I'll keep going. Maybe I'll carve an hour or two out of my afternoon and get a chunk read. Reading for 15 minutes a night just isn't enough.