Friday, July 1, 2016

June 2016 Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on the 100 Best Novels goal, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  


June News 


June has been so insane. I mentioned last month that we were going to be traveling a lot. I don't think I really understood myself how nuts this summer was going to be. I'm basically operating on a one week home, one week gone schedule all summer. We're both doing some work travel and then lots of family stuff as well. It's making things a little insane, but it's been so fun, thus far. TSA lines have been a complete breeze, which I'm thankful for after all the hype. We have one more flight in July, but we're not anticipating it to be too difficult due to the times of day we are flying.

With as busy as things have been, you would think my reading would slow down. The glorious thing about travel, though, is how much reading time I gain. I know I talked about this last month, too, but, my gosh. I always forget how many books I can fly through on a trip. I've was literally reading in planes, trains, and automobiles all over the country this month and it shows. From walking the streets of San Diego exploring and listening to audiobooks (only one earphone in, guys - I know about street safety) to reading physical books on the beach in Michigan to the plethora of ebooks on airplanes, it's been a prolific reading month. In fact, I beat my own monthly personal record, set earlier this year in February.

And July is looking to be similar. I'm particularly looking forward to a week at the beach with my immediate family. That week is what Kevin and I are considering our real vacation this year and we are pumped. It's going to be great family time, but also a great time to relax before the school year starts. The timing worked out perfectly and we cannot wait to just crash and soak up the sun. That week will be ideal for reading, too. I have really scaled back my travel with physical books due to space constraints when flying this summer (my accomplishment of the year was packing for a 6 day trip in a backpack), so driving to the beach will be great. I plan on taking a serious stack of physical books. It's going to be a great chance I have to clean up and clear out my literal TBR shelf on my desk. I don't like reading on my iPad at the beach for a variety of reasons, so I'm looking forward to all the actual pages I'll be turning.

Enough talking about all the reading I've been doing. Here is some actual information about it...


Books Reviewed


  1. Radical - Maajid Nawaz
  2. Armada - Ernest Cline
  3. Why Not Me? - Mindy Kaling
  4. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
  5. Blood and Beauty - Sarah Dunant
  6. The View from the Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman
  7. The Moviegoer - Walker Percy
  8. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
  9. The Sympathizer - Viet Thanh Nguyen
  10. Still Alice - Lisa Genova
  11. Wool - Hugh Howey
  12. Greetings from Utopia Park - Claire Hoffman

Books Read

  1. The City of Mirrors - Justin Cronin
  2. HRC  - Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes
  3. Scary Close  - Donald Miller
  4. Yes Please - Amy Poehler
  5. The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
  6. 'Til We Meet Again - Ray & Betty Whipps
  7. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
  8. Nostromo - Joseph Conrad
  9. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler
  10. Greetings from Utopia Park - Claire Hoffman
  11. Back of the House - Scott Haas
  12. Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
  13. The Heir Apparent - Jane Ridley
  14. The Royal Nanny - Karen Harper
  15. The Old Wives' Tale - Arnold Bennett
Pages Read: 6,115

Favorite Book Read: HRC was such a fascinating look at the recent life and career of Hillary Clinton, particularly as we draw ever closer to the election. I found it both educational and interesting - always a winning combination for me.

2016 Monthly Goals 

One of my goals this year is to read 6 books every month:
  • 100 Best Novels 
    Nostromo - Joseph Conrad
    Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler
    The Old Wives' Tale - Arnold Bennett
    65% complete with total challenge 
  • 1 Faith-Centered or Philosophical Book 
    Scary Close - Donald Miller
  • 1 Nonfiction 
    HRC - Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes
    The Heir Apparent - Jane Ridley
  • 1 from On Reserve
    Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
    Back of the House - Scott Haas
    Seraphina - Rachel Hartman

Articles

If you're looking for a big, fat book to read this summer, Modern Mrs. Darcy has you covered.

Rachel Held Evans has a great list of Faith-Themed Reads for Summer 2016.
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And, so there we have it. So long to June 2016. Make sure you're stopping back by every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in July for a new review.

What are you reading this summer?

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