June Round-Up
Happy July 4th! Since most of my U.S. readers are probably out enjoying cook-outs and what-not, I rearranged the book review schedule to accommodate. :)
Here are the reviews posted during June. Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of books I read in June, but rather the books I had the time to review before month's end.
1) Paul Cornell: The Copenhagen Interpretation: It's a Gamble
2) Mira Grant: Blackout: Good Read
3) Rachel Swirsky: Fields of Gold: Worth Reading, with Reservations
4) Leigh Bardugo: The Witch of Duva: A Ravkan Folk Tale: Good Read
5) Brad R. Torgersen: Ray of Light: Worth Reading, with Reservations
6) Geoff Ryman: What We Found: Excellent
7) John Scalzi: Redshirts: Couldn't Put It Down
8) Mira Grant: Countdown: A Newsflesh Novella: Worth Reading, with Reservations
9) Mary Robinette Kowal: Kiss Me Twice: Worth Reading, with Reservations
10) Paolo Bacigalupi: The Drowned Cities: Couldn't Put It Down
11) Kij Johnson: The Man Who Bridged the Mist: Good Read
12) Kameron Hurley: God's War: Worth Reading, with Reservations
13) Carolyn Ives Gilman: The Ice Owl: Good Read
Total Number of Books Reviewed: Technically, it's 4 books and 9 pieces of short fiction
Total Number of Books Read: Technically, 6 books and 9 pieces of short fiction
If I felt like May dragged in terms of productivity, that's nothing compared to what June felt like. My TBR pile stayed mostly stagnant as I worked my way through the short fiction in the Hugo Voter's Packet, and looking back, there were only three days I did not post in June. Everything else was reviews and whatnot, which looks like it's very productive. Hell, I did 13 total reviews! That's nothing to sneeze at, but because most of said reviews were for shorts in the Hugo Voter's packet, I feel like I've accomplished very little, despite the numbers to the contrary.
Favorite: Well, based on reviews alone, that'd have to be John Scalzi's Redshirts, which was a short, fun and fast read. Not the best Scalzi, but still a whole lot of fun, and a good break from all the serious reading I did in June.
Most surprisingly enjoyable: Nothing stands out, simply because most of what I read I had no expectations for, so there were no surprise enjoyments, you know?
Biggest disappointment: It's not a HORRIBLE disappointment, but reading Mira Grant's Countdown as a Hugo-nominated novella instead of just a fun set of teasers for fans (as it was meant to be read) warped my expectations in a weird way. As a fan, I enjoyed it for what it was, but as a Hugo Voter, I was expecting something so much more.
Mount TBR Stats: 25 books accomplished! Mount Vancouver! In August, I'll probably raise my goal to the next level of Mt. Ararat, which is 40 books, because in August, I'll finally get to go back to my reading rotation, as described below:
Reading Goals: (if you need to refresh yourself on my personal 2012 reading goals, click here) So far, I feel pretty good about my current reading rotation, which is listed below.
1) Series
2) New Purchase (2012)
3) Old Purchase (pre-2012)
Still on my break from the above format. I'm mostly through the Hugo Voter's packet, but that'll take a good chunk out of July, so I won't get back to that rotation until August. Which, honestly, I'm looking forward to. :)
Anyway, what were YOUR favorite reads from July? Which books did you love most? Which books, if any, were huge disappointments? Got a review list? Lay it all on me! :)2012's resolution is to RECEIVE no more than 72 books a year, which means if I want to keep a monthly status, no more than 6 books a month! I did pretty well in June, despite a few impulse purchases. This brings up my total for the year to 25, with it breaking down like this:
January: 6 books
February: 4 books
March: 4 books
April: 2 books
May: 5 books
June: 4 books
I'm still well within my resolution, so that's a good thing.
1) God's War by Kameron Hurley (Kindle) REVIEW HERE
2) Redshirts by John Scalzi (Amazon) REVIEW HERE
3) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Amazon) **
4) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Amazon) ***
** = reading now
*** = review forthcoming
I also received, but am not counting, my pre-ordered copy of Spellcrossed by Barbara Ashford. If you remember, last month I received an unsolicited free copy from the publisher, which I have since given away. Which is why I'm not counting the book twice. :)
The impulse buys were the Wein and the Bardugo. My hubby was making an Amazon order on the same day I'd read Bargudo's Tor.com short story, and I've been eyeing the Wein for quite some time, so I figured why not? The Hurley was our book club pick, and Scalzi was a pre-order.
July looks to be light. Two pre-ordered novellas (Mira Grant and Rae Carson), and then depending on when Amazon releases it, the next Kitty Norville book. I know I'll be picking up Leviathan Wakes for my Hugo reading, but beyond that, I should be good. I've still got three books in my 2012 to-read pile that I haven't gotten to yet, and really want to gobble them up before my next round of pre-orders come in.
Yes, next round. I pre-ordered a whole bunch of books for the latter half of the year. Lots of YA in that pile, I noticed. 2 out of the 7 books are from adult publishers. Go figure. :) In the pre-order basket are Rae Carson, Pearl North, Richard Kadrey, Ann Aguirre, Catherynne M. Valente, and Cherie Priest. Woot!
That's my June. How'd you all do?
Here are the reviews posted during June. Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of books I read in June, but rather the books I had the time to review before month's end.
1) Paul Cornell: The Copenhagen Interpretation: It's a Gamble
2) Mira Grant: Blackout: Good Read
3) Rachel Swirsky: Fields of Gold: Worth Reading, with Reservations
4) Leigh Bardugo: The Witch of Duva: A Ravkan Folk Tale: Good Read
5) Brad R. Torgersen: Ray of Light: Worth Reading, with Reservations
6) Geoff Ryman: What We Found: Excellent
7) John Scalzi: Redshirts: Couldn't Put It Down
8) Mira Grant: Countdown: A Newsflesh Novella: Worth Reading, with Reservations
9) Mary Robinette Kowal: Kiss Me Twice: Worth Reading, with Reservations
10) Paolo Bacigalupi: The Drowned Cities: Couldn't Put It Down
11) Kij Johnson: The Man Who Bridged the Mist: Good Read
12) Kameron Hurley: God's War: Worth Reading, with Reservations
13) Carolyn Ives Gilman: The Ice Owl: Good Read
Total Number of Books Reviewed: Technically, it's 4 books and 9 pieces of short fiction
Total Number of Books Read: Technically, 6 books and 9 pieces of short fiction
If I felt like May dragged in terms of productivity, that's nothing compared to what June felt like. My TBR pile stayed mostly stagnant as I worked my way through the short fiction in the Hugo Voter's Packet, and looking back, there were only three days I did not post in June. Everything else was reviews and whatnot, which looks like it's very productive. Hell, I did 13 total reviews! That's nothing to sneeze at, but because most of said reviews were for shorts in the Hugo Voter's packet, I feel like I've accomplished very little, despite the numbers to the contrary.
Favorite: Well, based on reviews alone, that'd have to be John Scalzi's Redshirts, which was a short, fun and fast read. Not the best Scalzi, but still a whole lot of fun, and a good break from all the serious reading I did in June.
Most surprisingly enjoyable: Nothing stands out, simply because most of what I read I had no expectations for, so there were no surprise enjoyments, you know?
Biggest disappointment: It's not a HORRIBLE disappointment, but reading Mira Grant's Countdown as a Hugo-nominated novella instead of just a fun set of teasers for fans (as it was meant to be read) warped my expectations in a weird way. As a fan, I enjoyed it for what it was, but as a Hugo Voter, I was expecting something so much more.
Mount TBR Stats: 25 books accomplished! Mount Vancouver! In August, I'll probably raise my goal to the next level of Mt. Ararat, which is 40 books, because in August, I'll finally get to go back to my reading rotation, as described below:
Reading Goals: (if you need to refresh yourself on my personal 2012 reading goals, click here) So far, I feel pretty good about my current reading rotation, which is listed below.
1) Series
2) New Purchase (2012)
3) Old Purchase (pre-2012)
Still on my break from the above format. I'm mostly through the Hugo Voter's packet, but that'll take a good chunk out of July, so I won't get back to that rotation until August. Which, honestly, I'm looking forward to. :)
Anyway, what were YOUR favorite reads from July? Which books did you love most? Which books, if any, were huge disappointments? Got a review list? Lay it all on me! :)2012's resolution is to RECEIVE no more than 72 books a year, which means if I want to keep a monthly status, no more than 6 books a month! I did pretty well in June, despite a few impulse purchases. This brings up my total for the year to 25, with it breaking down like this:
January: 6 books
February: 4 books
March: 4 books
April: 2 books
May: 5 books
June: 4 books
I'm still well within my resolution, so that's a good thing.
1) God's War by Kameron Hurley (Kindle) REVIEW HERE
2) Redshirts by John Scalzi (Amazon) REVIEW HERE
3) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Amazon) **
4) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Amazon) ***
** = reading now
*** = review forthcoming
I also received, but am not counting, my pre-ordered copy of Spellcrossed by Barbara Ashford. If you remember, last month I received an unsolicited free copy from the publisher, which I have since given away. Which is why I'm not counting the book twice. :)
The impulse buys were the Wein and the Bardugo. My hubby was making an Amazon order on the same day I'd read Bargudo's Tor.com short story, and I've been eyeing the Wein for quite some time, so I figured why not? The Hurley was our book club pick, and Scalzi was a pre-order.
July looks to be light. Two pre-ordered novellas (Mira Grant and Rae Carson), and then depending on when Amazon releases it, the next Kitty Norville book. I know I'll be picking up Leviathan Wakes for my Hugo reading, but beyond that, I should be good. I've still got three books in my 2012 to-read pile that I haven't gotten to yet, and really want to gobble them up before my next round of pre-orders come in.
Yes, next round. I pre-ordered a whole bunch of books for the latter half of the year. Lots of YA in that pile, I noticed. 2 out of the 7 books are from adult publishers. Go figure. :) In the pre-order basket are Rae Carson, Pearl North, Richard Kadrey, Ann Aguirre, Catherynne M. Valente, and Cherie Priest. Woot!
That's my June. How'd you all do?