What an exhausting month! I’m still not sure where summer has gone and I’m seriously struggling to believe it’s September 1st! It probably doesn’t help that the weather here in Boston has been a bit of a shit-show recently: down in the 60s last week and in the 90s most of this week, no thank you. There were other crazy things going on that I’m not able to talk about now, but suffice to say it was a super busy month.
On top of the strangely mixed weather, I’ve done a lot of blogging and working to expand my bookish empire! Muwhaahaahaahaa! I released the mini episode of my podcast, Come Read With Me, to get it on iTunes and just yesterday released the first FULL length episode where I talked with my friend Caroline about From Russia with Love. On top of that I read The Grapes of Wrath as part of my 30 x 30 list and did a lot of cultural things too!
Books and the Bookish
As I wrote above, I officially launched Come Read With Me and that was a huge to-do! I’m excited to have released it, but now nervous that I have to keep up with it and get on the editing and recording new episodes. (I’m glad I have two in the bag.)
The photo above is from the gifts my sister brought me from THE Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris. In addition she got me these two:
It was so cool, I mean even their bags are amazing. I’m very jealous. I’ve been to Paris twice and never visited the store, mostly because I forget each time. 🙁 I’ll have to go back at one point because I REALLY want to see it and buy something, but until then my awesome shopping bag (probably just a library bag) will have to tide me over.
As for reading, I only read five books this month, but one took longer than I thought it would, but I’m still so glad I read it:
- Confessions from a Coffee Shop – galley from TBM
- The Bookman’s Tale – galley from the publisher
- L’America – a book on my TBR pile for over three years
- The Grapes of Wrath – from my 30 x 30 and Classics Club List
- That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week – a library book
I think of this group, The Bookman’s Tale was my favorite and I’m looking forward to reading his next novel. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed The Grapes of Wrath, once I broke through the 50-75 page barrier I read it pretty much the same speed I read any other novel.
Recent Acquisitions
I picked up three books this month, but only spent $10, so I’m not complaining!
I bought copies of Jane Austen Girl and My Own Mr. Darcy (yay Austen fan-fiction) from the Kindle Daily Deals/Book Bub (It’s worth signing up for, I think, but most of mine have been on Amazon.) and I picked up Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (right) from a random table that always has books on sale with the honor system over near Harvard. I’ll have to take a picture next time I’m over there.
What’s Next
I’ve officially started the next reading task on my 30 x 30 list: reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. It’s definitely a challenge! I think it’ll get easier as I read, but I’m only averaging about 15-20 pages a sitting and looking up a LOT of words (mostly because of weird tenses.
In addition, as part of my 30 x 30 list I put a word counter for my Jane Austen fan-fiction novel (look toward the top of the right hand column). I picked 25,000 words because I needed a goal and that’s roughly 100 pages and I know NaNoWriMo is 50,000 and roughly 200 pages, so we’ll just call it a novella.
Other than that I plan on reading Joanne Harris’s Chocolat trilogy. I had no idea it was a trilogy and I’m enjoying Chocolat so far and I definitely enjoyed the film whenI saw it ages ago! I also have an ARC of Margaret Atwood’s new short story collection, Stone Mattress, which I want to read before it’s release date mid-month.
I would say I want September to be more relaxed and quiet, but who would want that?! (And it’s clearly not going to be!)
Ooh, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek has some truly wonderful nature writing in it! I read Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal a few years ago. It’s an achievement I’m proud of, but I’m not sure that I’d be able to do it now.
I loved the Shakespeare & Co. book shop I thought of you when I visited in April. It smelled of old and books and loveliness that I fear many will never experience due to iBooks and kindles! Such a shame but I suppose that’s what makes book shops like that just a bit more special.