August 2013

Stuff I’ve Been Reading

1. Murder Must Advertise by Sayers, Dorothy L.
2. Black Glass by Fowler, Karen Joy
3. The Southern Gates of Arabia by Stark, Freya
4. The Nine Tailors by Sayers, Dorothy L.
5. World Made By Hand by Kunstler, James Howard
6. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Garcia Marquez, Gabriel
7. An Artist of the Floating World by Ishiguro, Kazuo
8. The Winter Prince by Wein, Elizabeth
9. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Doyle, Arthur Conan*
10. Unnatural Death by Sayers, Dorothy L.
11. The Night Circus by Morgenstern, Erin
12. Clouds of Witness by Sayers, Dorothy L.
13. Zoo Station by Downing, David

Italics indicate library books, asterisks indicate audiobooks, and I did not finish reading number three.

It seems to have been a month of mysteries. I confess: I read four Lord Peter Wimsey novels and a John Russell thriller. The other books on the list, while very good, especially The Night Circus, were judiciously inserted between Sayers novels chiefly so that I didn’t gobble up the entire series in a month.

As I’m still reading through the stack of books I bought at the library sale or was given by my parents, I only read three library books this month. Nor do I expect that number particularly to rise during September, when I plan to reread Megan Whalen Turner’s four-book series about Eugenides, and at least two more Sayers books. I will probably also tackle Legend by Marie Lu, and, if it’s as good as I hope, I will want to read the sequel Prodigy right away. So that’s eight books already on the agenda for September, to say nothing of Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik, book eight of the Temeraire series, which I have just picked up from the library (where I have three more books on hold, eek).

Plus, September is the month of my birthday, and I anticipate gifts of books, book money, gift cards for books, or, if all else fails, self-indulgent book-buying (Shift and Dust by Hugh Howey, I’m looking at you).

I am a bibliophile, I am a bibliophile, I am a bibliophile. There are too few waking hours in the year to read all I wish to read. The end.

WWW Wed Aug 28

What are you currently reading?

Zoo Station by David Downing. The first in a six-book series about John Russell, this novel is set in pre-WWII Berlin. The protagonist is a journalist who wants to stay in Germany to be near his son and thus agrees to do some spying. This will be my 100th book in 2013.

What did you recently finish reading?

Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey’s powers of detection are tested to the limit when his elder brother is accused of murder. This is the case that will establish his career–if he can solve it in time.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Two ancient magicians have a longstanding competition: they will raise up proteges who must compete strictly within an established venue until one is proved the victor. Celia and Marco are the proteges, and the Night Circus, the mysterious and exotic Circus of Dreams, open only from dusk to dawn, is their venue. The competition is going well until Celia and Marco fall in love and must save themselves and the circus from their own games.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. Soon enough it will be due at the library, although my having learned that it is the first of a seven-book fantasy series does not, in fact, encourage me. I might very well return it unread and wait until the first three or so books have come out before taking on another series that will be a decade to complete. If I decide to wait, I might give Legend by Marie Lu a try–it’s only three books long, the second one is already available, and it comes highly recommended.

Audiobook:

Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley. This is the fifth book of the Flavia de Luce series, which ended on such a cliffhanger!–I can hardly wait to read the sixth one, due out in January.

WWW Wed Aug 21

What are you currently reading?

Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers. It’s a perfect crime–an old woman dies of natural causes. But Lord Peter Wimsey suspects murder: he just has to find the murderer, motive, and means of death. As he picks away at the layers, he hopes to discover any of the above to vindicate his hunch.

What did you recently finish reading?

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro. Ono, a retired artist, reflects on his life and art during the marriage negotiations of his second daughter. He wonders whether he did right supporting an imperial worldview that has been rejected by the post-WWII Japanese youth. If you liked the circuity of Remains of the Day, you will like this cerebral novel.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Any of the following, courtesy of my parents, who should vacation proximate to Powell’s at least every month:

• Legend by Marie Lu
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• Three more Dorothy L. Sayers novels: Busman’s Honeymoon, Clouds of Witness, Have His Carcase
• The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (in hardback, to match A Conspiracy of Kings)–although I think I’ll reread the series for my birthday in September

And also waiting for me at the library:

• Zoo Station by David Downing
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

So I have plenty of choices for what to read next!