July 2015 Wrap Up

Although I actually had a pretty good reading month, I am disappointed with the total of books I read. It was the winter holiday from school, and I really had planned to read (hem, hem) closer to twenty books - because in all honesty I can easily kill a 300 to 400 paged book in a day. Alas, that did not happen. In fact, during the holiday I read (hem, hem) five books. When school went back, I read another three.

I was quite surprised to discover that I actually had had my third best reading month of the year as far as page count went (January being the best as it is the summer holidays, and, as we have almost all of December off, by the time Jan arrives, everything I needed to get done is finished and I can just sit back and relax - with a book.) I suppose that I should also put the making of the bookcase into consideration. That was a massive job that was time consuming and physically demanding - demanding enough to actually impact on my nightly reading time, as I would get into bed, read a couple of pages and then politely nod off.

The month began with a bang with The Martian by Andy Weir. This one was a blast to read. I had a load of fun reading about Mark Watney and his escapades. I would recommend this one to pretty much any one. It is funny, fast paced and filled with surprises. Males, females, sci-fi fans, non-sci-fi fans, avid readers, reluctant readers... Yeah. Pretty much anyone.

Next up, I finished The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
by Amanda Palmer. This is a special book. It is less a memoir and more a guide on how to live as a kind, sharing person, being involved in the cycle of humanity. It is not just about one giving, but receiving, and I think that is an aspect that is generally frowned upon. I felt that there was so much to be gained from this book. You do not have to be a fan of Amanda Palmer's to appreciate this or get something out of it.

Then I read  Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads, but I am a bit tempted to knock it down to a 4. I loved it while I read it, but I have not had the themes come back to haunt me since. I will save a rating change for when I get around to rereading it in the future. This was an interesting dystopian novel, and I think the way the characters were connected and the way the story was not chronological really added a lot to the story.

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson was next. These books were in the 700 page range and probably were responsible for the large page count I achieved. If you enjoy fantasy, you will probably enjoy these. I do think that hardcore fantasy readers might be a bit unsatisfied about some elements (like the age of the characters). But this series has a magnificent magic system and has been developed to the point where it really does feel like a genuine world.

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell was a quick fun read. I must agree with the blurb that Neil Gaiman wrote on the front: "So funny, so sad..." I must admit that besides finding some people's ignorance enjoyable, it is disconcerting that people can be that uneducated or strange. I would recommend this to folks in the book trade, book lovers or someone (who knows something about books) who needs a quick pick-me-up.

The last book for the month was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. While I appreciated the story, I can't say it was necessarily the most enjoyable reading experience I have had this month. There are some brilliant lines in this book, though, and there were places where I genuinely laughed out loud, especially in the beginning.

I hope that August is going to be another productive month as far as reading goes. I am not commiting myself to the Booktube Readathon, as that (this) week is filled with test setting and meetings with parents and the Department of Education - which although is very likely to inspire a lengthy reading session, takes up far too much time.