Wednesday, October 1, 2014

September 2014 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.  

September News

We're finally feeling settled down in North Carolina. The weather is beautiful, the people are lovely, and we are quite enjoying our little adventure. Plus, working from home continues to be one of my favorite things ever. Even though I'm still crazy busy trying to balance things, someone the task is easier in sweatpants.

Starting in a week and a half, I have a month off from grad school. I'm really looking forward to that, as I hope to blaze through some books just for pleasure. I'm thinking that month off will be my guilty pleasure read month. It's going to be great! Then, once I pick back up mid-November, I only have three terms left until I finish. Seems insane to think about, but it's true. I hope to be completely finished - thesis and all - at the start of May 2015.

While I dream about the near future of over-abundant free time and lots of books, you can read the recap of what happened around here this month (including a Movie Monday review of Divergent)...


Books Reviewed


  1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
  2. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
  3. The Circle - Dave Eggers
  4. Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking - Anya Von Bremzen
  5. The Maze Runner - James Dashner
  6. Daring - Gail Sheehy
  7. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner
  8. Sister Carrie - Theodore Dreiser

Books Read

  1. Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking - Anya Von Bremzen - 9/9
  2. Sister Carrie - Theodore Dreiser - 9/12
  3. Daring - Gail Sheehy - 9/20
  4. Hollow City - Ransom Riggs - 9/21
  5. Pilgrim's Wilderness - Tom Kizzia - 9/22
  6. Film Music: A Very Short Introduction - Kathryn Kalinak - 9/27
  7. Main Street - Sinclair Lewis - 9/28
Pages Read: 2,744 (only one page different from August - weird!)

Favorite Book Read: It was difficult to choose a favorite this month. I generally enjoyed everything I read, but nothing stuck out really strongly as a favorite. In the end, I'm going with Sinclair Lewis's classic, Main Street. I mean, I said "Bravo, Sinclair" out loud when I finished it, so I guess it probably deserves recognition as a favorite.

100 Best Novels Progress

  • 2 completed this month (Sister Carrie and Main Street)
  • 32% complete


Articles

All the buzz at our house right now is speculating about the Gone Girl movie. We have plans to see it with friends who are coming to visit in a few weeks. Until then, I'm holding out on articles claiming it lives us to the hype.

Wondering how much of a time commitment the classics are? Shortlist.com broke it down for you.

Fashion Week meets books

5 Long Books Worth Every Page - in case you're looking for a satisfying challenge this winter.

A beautiful article about the books that shape us.

More thoughts on the future of books

Goodreads picked out a few standouts of 2014...so far.

Facebook took note of all those favorite book lists people have been posting and quantified the results.

PopSugar has a list of love stories for people who don't like love stories.
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As the weather gets cooler, I'm toting back some firewood from my parents' house (where I am for a funeral this week) to use in our new fireplace. I anticipate some chilly mornings next to a roaring fire with a book and a cup of tea. Sounds about perfect. Right now, I'm working on The Iron King, finishing up a book on the history of the papacy for school, and David Nicholls's latest novel, Us, is sitting on my desk at home. I also started Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford which is another beast off the Modern Library list. I'll be lucky if I finish it in October.

What are you reading this fall?

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