July And August Reading List

August was shameful on the reading front. Only 5 books! And July was barely any better at 7. So I guess it is good I forgot to post July and combine them into one post with the appearance of decent reading accomplishments. We're getting to the home stretch here, can't go dropping the ball now! For the record, my year-to-date measures as 76 books read. 

July:

The Bhagavad Gita- by Stephen Mitchell (translation)

The Hot Zone- Richard Preston 

Missing You- Harlan Coben

The Divorce Papers- Susan Rieger

Killing Floor- Lee Child

The Silkworm- Robert Galbraith

Gone Tomorrow- Lee Child

Aug:

Supreme Justice- Max Allan Collins

Persuader- Lee Child

One Shot- Lee Child

Season To Taste- Natalie Young

The Magicians- Lev Grossman

 June, May, April, March, February, January 

June Reads

Well, I sure dropped the ball in June. Only 9 books read. NINE. And none of them were long, or hard. Hell, two of them I'd read before, and another one I read in a single day. Pathetic. I suppose it's possible I read some that I forgot to write down, but that's just pathetic in a whole different way. Behold my anemic accomplishment:

Dreams of Gods and Monsters- Laini taylor

Worth Dying For- Lee Child

Before We Met- Lucie Whitehouse

The Hit- David Baldacci

Wolf- Mo Hayder

Until You're Mine- Samantha Hayes

Bossypants- Tina Fey

The Bricklayer- Noah Boyd

Agent X- Noah Boyd

 May, April, March, February, January 

Letter To Jeff Bezos

Dear Mr. Bezos:

I have an idea that I think you should seriously consider. I think that the purchase of any book through your site should include a code for the Kindle version. Now, this code would not necessarily have to mean a FREE download- perhaps simply a discounted rate for anyone who wants to add the digital version to their book purchase (higher % discount for hardcover purchases than paperbacks). You could even only offer this service to Prime members. 

I am an avid reader, and I vastly prefer actual books to reading digitally. However, while I prefer to purchase the physical book, there are many circumstances that require the ease and portability of an ereader. Traveling, for example. I also re-read my favorites quite often, and having an option of how I can consume material I've already paid full price for would be appreciated. I'm a big fantasy fan, and sometimes there are years in between sequels (ahem, George RR Martin)- not to mention they can be 1000s of pages and very heavy in a purse or briefcase! But I would never give up adding the book to my bookshelf. 

Anytime I purchase a book through Amazon, I would love to see an option at check out: add the Kindle version for $5? I can tell you that I personally would click 'yes' pretty much every time, and I think other customers would too. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this- I hope you think this idea is a great as I do!

Kate Johnson

May Reading List

I'm not sure what I did with the month of May, but it apparently wasn't read.  A respectable yet somewhat anemic 10 books passed my eyeballs this month. June and July are shaping up to be fairly busy too, so my efforts in the next few months may be severely lacking.  I'm up to 56 books this year so far (I think? Not like I'm actually going to take the time to count right at this moment), so I'm on pace to hit 100 assuming I don't get too far behind in the next 2 months.  I have several yoga textbooks on my slate which are probably not edge of your seat page turners but are required reading before July.  I also have a GIANT fantasy sequel waiting on deck, and it's equally giant predecessor that I want to re-read to remind myself what is going on.  I'm not complaining when short books bolster my count, but when a 1000 page behemoth still only gets ranked as one I totally call unfair.

Anyway, here's what went down in May:


The Blinding Knife - Brent Weeks
The Troop - Nick Cutter
The Prince of Risk - Christopher Reich
The Expats - Chris Pavone
Ripper - Isabel Allende
Yes Mommy - Amy Sprenger*
Moving Day - Jonathan Stone
Tampa - Alissa Nutting
The Accident - Chris Pavone
Hollow City - Ransom Riggs


 April, March, February, January 






*I actually know her - we're friends, even! She's super funny, and her books are too.  Go buy them!

April In Books

April was a crackerjack month, with 12 books read. I'm thinking the secret to hitting my 100 book goal is more YA novels that are so super easy to read. But still totally count; it's not like I'm putting Pinkalicious on the list. But in the interest of perhaps a wee bit of personal growth, I am going to try and add in some non-fiction, mind-broadening selections. I have tons of parenting and other books on my to read list, but I never get to them because cheap thrillers  and dystopian YA are more fun. They also keep me up reading until 2 am, so from now on I'm going to only let myself read the non-fiction stuff in bed so I'll go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Which means I have to read the good stuff during the day, which of course means I have to cut back on other activities like cleaning. But hey, we all have to make sacrifices sometimes.

What I read in April:

'Til Death Do Us Part- Katie White

Vampire Academy- Richelle Mead 

Deadly Heat- Richard Castle

Once Upon A Lie- Maggie Barbieri

Frostbite- Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss- Richelle Mead

Blood Promise- Richelle Mead

Sprit Bound- Richelle Mead

Last Sacrifice- Richelle Mead

Mickey Outside - David Lender

Fear Nothing- Lisa Gardner

The Black Prism- Brent Weeks

 

March, February, January 

March Reading

Let's do away with any pretense that I'm keeping up with my New Years resolutions, shall we? March was characterized by a complete abandonment of any attempts at self improvement, and I have the messy house and belly blubber to prove it.  But I'm still plugging away at my reading, so let's keep hope alive that I might get to check one thing off as accomplished this year.

Books I read in March:

Gone- Lisa Gardner

Say Goodbye- Lisa Gardner

Birdman- Mo Hayder

The Treatment- Mo Hayder

Ritual- Mo Hayder

Gone- Mo Hayder

Champion- Marie Lu

Serena- Ron Rash

This Is Where I Leave You- Jonathan Tropper

Frozen Heat- Richard Castle

February, January

February Reading List

I managed 12 books in this, the shortest month of the year, putting me at 23 so far and right on pace to swing 100 this year.  I'm sure my momentum is going to drop when I run up against the yoga texts I have to tackle for my teacher training, but I'm going to ride this binge as long as I can. Plus, I haven't read every single Lisa Gardner book yet, although by the end of the week, I will I have read every single one my library has.

What I read this month:

Days of Blood and Starlight - Laini Taylor

The Maze Runner - James Dashner

He's Gone - Deb Caletti

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion

The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty

Alone - Lisa Gardner

Hide - Lisa Gardner

The Neighbor - Lisa Gardner

Live to Tell - Lisa Gardner

Love You More - Lisa Gardner

Catch Me - Lisa Gardner

The Killing Hour - Lisa Gardner

 January