Just thought I’d give a little update on my reading progress. I’m still mostly listening to audios this month (and still painting). I knocked out another two Pulitzer winners, The Good Earth and The Age of Innocence, both of which I enjoyed more than last month’s two Pulitzers. I am also slowly reading Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. I’m enjoying it so far but only get to read it for about 30 minutes each night.
As most of you know, the Booker longlist was announced and I’ve made some plans to at least read Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and possibly The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey. I am also interested in How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall and Love and Summer by William Trevor, but neither of them will be released until September. It’s really frustrating to not be able to have access to these at the library yet. I know I can use The Book Depository, which I love and have used many times before, but I’m sort of in a spendthift mood right now. I’ll probably just wait to see which ones make it to the shortlist and go from there.
Some bloggers have posted their book sources this week as the discussion about ARC disclosure has grown. I was curious to see what my source breakdown would be so far this year. Counting all of January through July for 67 books, here were my sources:
37 library acquisitions for 55% of the total
16 were obtained from PBS/Bookmooch/Library Sales for 24%
9 were purchased new for 13%
6 ARCs for 9% (though I did receive more, I only read 6:)
The Housekeeper and the Professor
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
The Wednesday Sisters (a holdover from last year)
The Angel’s Game
The Tricking of Freya
Shanghai Girls
I’m not surprised at these percentages at all. I am backlogged on ARCs but I find myself really wanting to complete my challenges and read some older books. Of the ARCS I did read, none of them rated below a 4. They were all great, and I believe I am severely honest in my reviews.
ARCs don’t hold the magic for me that they once did, though I don’t fault any blogger for wanting to receive them. It’s just that for me, I don’t like feeling pressured in my reading. Then it becomes work. So, I still plan on reading (or at least give them the 50 page test) all the ARCs I’ve received, I just found there was no possible way for me to keep up anyway, so I might as well get to the books whenever I get to them. I really get enormous satisfaction in completing my reading challenges. That’s not to say that I don’t like new books — I do!! I’m just more careful about requesting ARCs and I do try to obtain many new titles at the library. I really, really love the library. Really. I also love pbs, bookmooch, and library sales because I can get even more books for a reasonable price! I don’t feel guilty at all about it because I do purchase about 1.5 new books per month.
Have you done a book source breakdown yet? I’d love to see your numbers!
This past week my family and I have been doing a lot of work on my house in Kentucky so we can put it up for sale again. Painting ceilings, shutters, and walls. Pressure washing the siding and deck. Trying to fit in time for family and old friends. Enjoying the pool and our backyard. We still have a lot to do, but it’s coming along.
I really haven’t had time at all for being on the internet, but not having access to it is VERY difficult! I’ve been going to the library to get caught up on emails, etc. I have also been listening to audio CDs so I’ve actually gotten quite a few books in as well. This past week I finished up The Optimist’s Daughter, Shanghai Girls, A Summons to Memphis, and Intuition. All but the first were audios. It feels good to get a couple of Pulitzers knocked out. Neither of them will make my ‘best of’ Pulitzer list, though. I really didn’t care that much for them, but they still have that ‘literary’ feel to them. I often wonder if books that are prize winners would have that ‘feel’ to them if they hadn’t won.
I really loved Shanghai Girls but the conclusion of the book was very open-ended. I don’t always have to have a story wrap up neatly for me to enjoy it, but this one seemed a bit abrupt. Intuition by Allegra Goodman really surprised me. I enjoyed this very science-oriented book immensely. It has quite a bit of scientific detail in it, but the characters are very well portrayed. I was struck by how well Goodman showed both their faults and their positive attributes so well. I will definitely be reading more of her work.
I have SO MANY reviews to write. Hopefully I’ll be able to get to those soon.
This past week has been fun but a little exhausting. I’m on a working vacation right now (several states away) and am without internet access, so if I’m a little slow at responding to comments or emails — that’s the reason. I’m actually posting this from the library, which will be my only way to catch up with everyone for the next 6 weeks or so.
The good news is that I have been reading, though! I finished up How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and am currently reading The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (a Pulitzer winner) and I’m listening to Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. I’m loving Shanghai Girls! Just as she did in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See has me totally swept up in this story. Set in Shanghai and in California before and during WWII, it’s a tale of two sisters caught up in the times and their circumstances. So far it’s at least a 4.5 rating. If you loved Snow Flower, I believe you will enjoy Shanghai Girls as well.
As for the rest of the time I’m here, I hope to be able to post at least once or twice a week with reviews and/or a Sunday Salon post.
I had a lot of fun hosting this edition of the Bookworms Carnival, and I really enjoyed putting it together. There were some great submissions — thanks to all who participated!
Thanks to everyone who submitted entries for the Carnival. There are some very interesting articles and reviews, so be sure to check them out. The theme was book awards and prizes. There’s also a $10 Amazon certificate that will be available if someone correctly predicts the Pulitzer winner.
Even if you’re not part of the Decades Challenge, you might want to use it as a resource. Each decade is a separate post that not only has links to reviews of books from that particular decade, but it also has links to entire books online that are no longer under copyright. I also provide a listing of books published in that particular decade as well. It’s not exhaustive, but it’s a start.
In updating my blogroll, I may not have caught everyone, so if you link to my site in your sidebar, let me know and I’ll add your site to mine as well.
"Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." (John 6:27, ESV)
Hello Saloners! This week was mostly spent putting together the 
