June 2011 Reads

Summer, at least this summer, does not seem to be the time for increased reading.  June was my second-lowest month (and the first third of July sees me at only 10 books read to date).  Work and jury duty are largely to blame, along with a out-of-season severe sinus infection that laid me up for nearly three full days.  Only 25 books read, but at least the quality is fairly high on the whole.

194  Lynd Ward, vol. I:  Gods' Man, Madman's Drum, Wild Pilgrimage (Library of America omnibus; graphic, wordless novel; it and vol. II were outstanding)

195  Lynd Ward, vol. II:  Prelude to a Million Years, Song Without Words, Vertigo (Library of America omnibus; graphic, wordless novel)

196  Joanna Russ, The Female Man (re-read; reviewed)

197  William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, The Differance Engine (review forthcoming on the SFF Masterworks blog later this month or August)

198  Rivka Galchen, Atmospheric Disturbances (good debut novel)

199  Alexander Pope, Rape of the Lock and Other Poems (good 18th century classic)

200  Cheryl Rainfield, Scars (this YA novel reminded me, sometimes painfully, of some former students.  Well worth reading)

201  Oliver Potzsch, The Hangman's Daughter (decent historical fiction)

202  Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Roadside Picnic (re-read; review forthcoming on SFF Masterworks blog)

203  Philip K. Dick, The Penultimate Truth (meh, might review it sometime)

204  Leonora Carrington, The Hearing Trumpet (wild, surrealist novel)

205  John Gardner, Grendel (re-read; might write a longer review later)

206  Brian Aldiss, Greybeard (reviewed on SFF Masterworks blog)

207  C.E. Morgan, All the Living (good, moving debut)

208  Chris Adrian, The Great Night (not as good as his other works, but worth reading)

209  Minister Faust, Journey to Mecha (short story collection; good)

210  Inky Johnson, Inky:  An Amazing Story of Faith and Perseverance (non-fiction memoir/testimonial from a former UT cornerback who lost the use of his right arm while making a tackle in 2006.  I saw that hit live on TV and it was haunting.  His story is a moving one.)

211  Karen Joy Fowler, What I Didn't See (very good short story collection)

212  Shirley Jackson, Hangsaman (one of her minor works, with a slow build to a good conclusion)

213  Blake Butler, Scorch Atlas (this was excellent weird mosaic fiction)

214  M.J. Engh, Arslan (reviewed)

215  Jack London, The Call of the Wild (re-read; more awesome on my first re-read in over 20 years)

216  David Anthony Durham, The Sacred Band (review in late September/early October; did find it to be a very good concluding volume to an underrated epic fantasy trilogy)

217  Lila Azam Zanganeh, The Enchanter:  Nabokov and Happiness (reviewed)

218  Ben Loory, Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day (short fiction; review forthcoming)


Not too shabby, considering I haven't written reviews for most of these yet (or ever).  July is off to a good start, albeit a slow one due to an upcoming work audit that forced me to work 11 hours Saturday and Sunday.  I can say 8 of the 10 read to date are 2011 releases and that a few of these might garner a review in the near future.