A couple months ago I started putting together monthly book lists to keep track of the books I wanted to try at read that month. It seems a little obsessive, but having the list is nice because it reminds me of any review commitments or just books I’m excited about for some reason.
My list for May was pretty ambitious, and, unfortunately, I didn’t have a great reading month. I blame distraction getting ready for BEA (irony?) as well as the end of the TV season. I love, love, love to watch TV sometimes. But anyway, here’s what I finished in May, with books from my original list in bold:
- The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock
- The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace
- Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckhoff
- Scenes from an Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine
- The Convert by Deborah Baker
- Train to Nowhere by Colleen Bradford Krantz
- In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
I missed reading a lot of books – no progress in War and Peace, plus just not getting to Storming the Tulips by Hannie J. Voyle, How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche (although I may skip this one after it got a couple of not-so-great reviews), and Marriage Confidential by Pamela Haag. I am glad to have spent more time in May reading what I want rather than being married to the list, but was bummed about the books I missed
Too many books, too little time, again! Is that a refrain every book lover sings each month?
My list for June is just as ambitious. In addition to trying some of the books I missed in May, I also want to try and read:
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Volume II, Parts 4 and 5 — thru page 600).
- Broke USA by Gary Rivlin, a review copy I received sometime last year that’s coming out in paperback this month.
- Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz for a TLC Book Tour.
- Election by Tom Perotta for my book club.
- Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch, a review copy from Harper.
- Sugar in My Bowl, edited by Erica Jong, a review copy from Ecco.
- Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku, which I checked out from the library and can’t renew again.
- The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra Robbins, another library book I am dying to get to.
And then I have all of the finished books I picked up at BEA to start thinking about trying to read. After June, I’ll start getting into some of the ARCs I got from BEA – many have July, August, and September release dates. I cannot wait for some of those!
What books are you especially excited to read in June?
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Wow that is quite the list! Good luck with it. I’m especially intrigued by Robbins’ book. I really enjoyed PLEDGED by her last year.
Oh, duh! That’s where I recognized her name before. I have Pledged on a shelf but haven’t read it. We’ll have to see how The Geeks… goes.
June is definitely going to be a big month! I picked up the Erica Jong book last week and am interested to read that one. Tom Perotta is one that I might put on my June list as well.
I’ve read some great reviews of the Tom Perotta book they were giving out at BEA. I may have to get on the hold list at the library… as if I need more books 🙂
I will be interested to see how your book club likes Election. I just bought a copy! Have a great month!
One person finished already, but wouldn’t tell me what she thought. We’re meeting in a couple weeks and plan to talk about the book and watch the movie. I’m looking forward to it.
I’m psyched to read Confessions of a Catholic Schoolgirl by Mary McCarthy (which I’m reading for my MFA program); The Map of True Places by Brutonia Barry, which I’ve been hearing good things about everywhere; and The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen (I just reviewed her new book The Peach Keeper and I absolutely loved it!).
Your list sounds awesome! May have to add some of your titles to mine. 🙂
Those books all sound great! I’ve read almost entirely good things about The Peach Keeper — it’s fun to go back through an author’s backlist after loving a new book.
Physics of the Future looks interesting, although I confess, I really shouldn’t add another physics book to my tbr list, as it’s already bulging with such titles. I could never make monthly reading lists like this, as it would surely mean I’d never get around to reading the books on the list, at least not for the month stated! It’s why I can’t do reading challenges, either …
That’s the only physics book I have for now — part of the reason it intrigues me is because it’s sort of related to my job writing for engineers.
The monthly list idea has worked ok so far. I had paralyzed by having too many decisions, so having a smaller stack to choose from sometimes makes it easier when I’m trying to pick my next book. But, if nothing looks good, I’ll often go off list, as happened in May.
I didn’t have a great May either, so I’m glad that we are into June now. I really want to read Geeks shall inherit the earth! Quirky title and nice synopsis!
Yes, I love the title of that book too! That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to read it.
VERY ambitious, but a ton of fun! Good luck with them! I got The Kitchen Daughter from the ‘brary yesterday, so I’ll be starting it soon for BookClubSandwich.
Awesome! I bought a copy for my Nook, so I’ll be starting it sometime at the end of the month. If I read it too soon, I’ll forget everything!
Great list! Sugar in my Bowl and Physics of the Future are currently on my summer reading list too. Happy reading and good luck! 😉
That’s cool, I hope they both turn out to be great books.
My May was a great reading month but I decided to focus on reading short books, which helped boost my morale. I have a few review copies this month but I’m mostly looking forward to Killer Stuff and Tons of Money.
Yeah, that was a good idea. All the books I read were really long, which I think slowed my reading a lot.
I find it hard to strike the balance between an appropriately ambitious reading plan that keeps me moving and an overly ambitious one which paralyzes me completely. ::grin:: But I keep trying.
I like the sound of your mix for June. For myself, I’m excited by Julie Orringer’s The Invisible Bridge, both because it’s been awhile since I read such a chunkster, and also because, if I make it there,it means that I’ve finally managed to read all 20 of the Orange Prize books for this year!
Oh, me too. That’s a constant struggle. I’m a failure at reading challenges because the idea of those lists paralyzes me. But the monthly plan has worked ok so far — sometimes having a limited list of options keeps me from being overwhelmed by choices.
I would not pick you for loving watching TV-I hate watching TV and only do it when I am just exhausted.
I love good television — long narratives or dramas with lots of characters and whatnot. It’s a weakness 🙂