June 2012 Reads

And now, to list all the books I've read through 182 days of 2012:

203  Carlos Fuentes, La gran novela latinoamerica (non-fiction; Spanish; outstanding overview of Latin American literature over the past five centuries.  Only quibble was short shrift was given to the Macondo writers compared to the Crack group)

204  Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico (non-fiction; Latin; first time reading the Gallic Commentaries in Latin.  Surprised how much Latin I've retained over the past 20 years)

205  George R.R. Martin and Daniel Abraham, A Game of Thrones, vol. I (graphic novel adaptation; well-done in places, but some of the artwork was meh for me)

206  Toni Morrison, Home (there's something under the surface of her just-released short novel about a Korean vet returning home that makes me want to re-read this; uneven in places)

207  Yoko Ogawa, The Housekeeper and the Professor (excellent)

208  Robert Jordan, Chuck Dixon and Andie Tong, The Eye of the World:  The Graphic Novel Volume Two (graphic novel adaptation that was mediocre in all departments.  Images here)

209  Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses (first Border Trilogy novel; outstanding)

210  Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing (second in the trilogy; excellent)

211  Cormac McCarthy, Cities of the Plain (third in the trilogy; excellent)

212  Various, The Essential Latin Language Collection (Latin; collection of 13 writings composed in Latin, from histories to Newton's geometric proofs to hymns and poetry; a classic trove)

213  Jamaica Kincaid, At the Bottom of the River (excellent)

214  Hari Kunzru, Gods Without Men (very good but uneven novel)

215  Antonio Machado, Antología poética (Spanish; re-read; poetry; excellent)

216  Mario Benedetti, Inventario II (Spanish; re-read; poetry; very good)

217  Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Rimas y Leyendas (Spanish; re-read; poetry and short fiction; poetry was outstanding, the fiction merely very good)

218  {REDACTED} - something I enjoyed very much, however.  You can guess who I read and what all you want, but I will never confirm or deny it.

219  Angélica Gorodischer, Opus Dos (Spanish; story collection; good-to-very good)

220  Josip Novakovich, Shopping for a Better Country (excellent series of essays from a Croatian-American writer)

221  Michael Cisco, Celebrant (it's Michael Cisco, it's weird, it's mesmerizing, I'll have to re-read it before reviewing it at some point in the future)

222  Matthea Harvey and Amy Jean Porter, Of Lamb (re-read; excellent)

223  László Krasznahorkai and Max Neumann, Animalinside (re-read; comments on Gogol's Overcoat)

224  Angélica Gorodischer (ed.), Mujeres de Palabra (non-fiction; Spanish; very good introduction to Latin American feminist writers/poets)

225  Angélica Gorodischer, Casta luna electrónica (Spanish; story collection; very good)

226  Woislav M. Petrovitch, Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians (good yet antiquated – it was published in 1913, I believe – rendering into English of Serb folklore)

227  Modris Ekšteins, Walking Since Daybreak (non-fiction; I may write a piece on this history of Latvia during the 20th century/personal memoir later; very moving and excellent history from one of my favorite historians)


One of my shortest reading months in over a year.  Feel free to weigh in on books read or on questions regarding titles listed.