June 2016 - what will you be reading?

[Leslie]

Share your plans for June reading with us here!

[Leslie]

I will be finishing my current books as needed:
Black and Blue by Ian Rankin, A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, Aesop's Fables and Elmer Gantry

and will try to get to a few books I had planned to read in May & didn't get to, in particular:
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (AAB seasonal author)
Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies
Crow by Ted Hughes (AAB seasonal poet)

And my new selections are
Antigone by Jean Anouilh {AAB Spring Drama Theme}
Tartuffe: Born Again by Freyda Thomas {AAB Spring Drama Theme}
Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indriðason
Voss by Nobel Laureate Patrick White
Go Down, Moses by Nobel Laureate William Faulkner (readalong)
Ratking by Michael Dibdin
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

[Chrissie]

Leslie, those last two book on your list I have read. Both I liked very much! Don't save them to the end.

[Greg]

As expected, I didn't get through all my May reads, but I got way closer than expected.

Here's my gentler June plan:

Group reads:

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (finish)
Amoris Laetitia-- The Joy of Love: On Love in the Family by Pope Francis (finish)
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

AAB Spring Drama Theme:

The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles' Antigone by Seamus Heaney
The Antigone Poems by Marie Slaight

Recommendation Swap:

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

Next Month's Drama Selection:

The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka

Free Reads:

So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

Didn't get to last month - only read if extra time:

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

[LauraT]

These to start with:
Colleen McCullough, Le signore di Missolungi
Qiu Xiaolong Quando il rosso è nero
Louise Penny The Beautiful Mystery
Bulaway Noviolet  We Need New Names
Hannah Richell Le bambine che cercavano conchiglie

[Marina]

Leslie, I'm sure you will enjoy Antigone by Jean Anouilh. I'll be interested to read your thoughts about it. I really loved it.

I don't have many plans so far, however, I'll be finishing I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban and I will certainly be reading:

The Book of Illusions
Undine
La vera storia di Leon Pantà (sorry, no English edition!)

I'm sure I'll read many more books, though I haven't decided which ones yet. I'll let myself be inspired in the moment, as usual.

[Pink]

These are high on my list to finish first -

Ulysses 4 stars
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall 5 stars

Buddy reads -
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale 4 stars

Group reads -
The Name of the Rose
The Master and Margarita

AAB seasonal poet/ playwright -
Tales from Ovid (Ted Hughes) 5 stars
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (inspired by Ted Hugh's Crow) 4 stars
The Lion and the Jewel (Wole Soyinka) 4 stars
Death and the King's Horseman: A Play 4 stars

Personal challenges -
Mary: A Fiction 1 star
The Collector 3.5 stars

Library books -
Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations DNF 2 stars
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal DNF 2 stars
The Butcher's Hook 3 stars
The Glorious Heresies DNF 2 stars
Awakenings 2 stars

[Leslie]

Greg - I look forward to hearing what you think about the Heaney play!

[Chrissie]

I will be reading the following:

First I will finish what I started in May: A Death in the Family 4stars read

1. Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation 3 stars read
2. Corrag 5 stars
3.Scaramouche 1 star read
4.Under the Wide and Starry Sky
5.Leningrad: Siege and Symphony: The Story of the Great City Terrorized by Stalin, Starved by Hitler, Immortalized by Shostakovich 4 stars read
6. First Ladies 2 stars
7. Gulag: A History 3 stars read
8.Main Street 3 stars read
9.Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (currently reading)
10.Mr. Vertigo 1 star
11. Marlene: A Novel 3 stars read
12. Sweet Caress 3 stars read

[Raul]

Chrissie wrote: "I will be reading the following:

1.Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation
2.Corrag
3.Scaramouche
4.[book:Under the Wide and Starry Sky|177972..."

I've been wanting to read Mr. Vertigo for a while now. Looking forward to how you'll find it.

[Raul]

I intend to read:

1.Confessions of a Mask
2.Snow Country
3.Season of Migration to the North
4.Fire from Heaven
5..Tipping the Velvet which I haven't finished
6.Within a Budding Grove which I am reading as a part of In Search of Lost Time series
7.War and Peace which I hope to finish the first volume at least
8.The Magic Mountain If I am able to finish these and go to it.
9.The Age of Reason a non-fiction book since I have been meaning to read one in a while now.

[Erica]

I have a massive stack (for me) to get through this month including library books:

I am Rebecca
The Glass Castle
Little Big Man
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English

...and books from my own shelf at home:

Tu
Child 44
Family Matters

[Greg]

Leslie wrote: "Greg - I look forward to hearing what you think about the Heaney play!"

I'll let you know Leslie. I'm a big Heaney fan; so my expectations are high, hopefully not too high! :)

[Greg]

Raul wrote: "I intend to read:

1.Confessions of a Mask
2.Snow Country
3.Season of Migration to the North
4.Fire from Heaven
5..[book:Tipping the Velvet|2510..."

A great selection of books Raul! I've been wanting to read that one by Renault for a while!

[Raul]

Greg wrote: "Raul wrote: "I intend to read:

1.Confessions of a Mask
2.Snow Country
3.Season of Migration to the North
4.Fire from Heaven
5..Tipping th..."</i>

I've read [book:The Charioteer by Renault and loved it, I hope that I like it as well. I took up on your recommendation and took Snow Country by Kawabata, hoping this month will be a great reading month!

[Colleen]

My June list:

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith - good so far! Read 6/5/16; 4 stars
The Summer Before the War started 6/5/16; finished 6/13/16; 5 stars
Joyland read 6/27/16; 5 stars
Two If by Sea
Wilde Lake
Secrets of Men in a Lifeboat Read 6/21/16; 3 stars
June

Now starting The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer for my RL book club pick for July since it's a library borrow. The books left are going to have to go on the July list.

[Petra]

Greg, I hope to get to Angle of Repose as well. I read another of Stegner's books, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, a few years ago and quite enjoyed that one. This group reads way too many good books.

Like Pink, I plan on finishing Ulysses.

Other books I hope to read in June:
Go Down, Moses
Finding Nouf
In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story

[Chrissie]

Raul,

So far my favorite by Auster is Timbuktu. Do you have a favorite?

I see you are going to read Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. Both that and Thousand Cranes are good, but The Old Capital is even better.

[Chrissie]

Erica,



You have some good ones there: the Glass Castle, Child 44 and Family Matters are all worth reading. Of those the first I liked best. I preferred A Fine Balance to Family Matters. Have fun.

[Chrissie]

Everybody seems to be loving Stegner, but he doesn't do all that much for me..........

Petra, I keep debating if I should read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story.

[Greg]

Petra wrote: "Greg, I hope to get to Angle of Repose as well. I read another of Stegner's books, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, a few years..."

Good to know I might not be the only late starter! :)

[Chrissie]

Oh, I forgot this one: Sweet Caress. i think William Boyd is a great writer. I have added it to my list.

Also I have to finish up A Death in the Family which I started in May. It has exceptional writing and superb characterizations. The author wonderfully portrays how different people react to death.

[Raul]

Chrissie wrote: "Raul,

So far my favorite by Auster is Timbuktu. Do you have a favorite?

I see you are going to read Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. Both that and ..."</i>

The only Auster book I have read is [book:Moon Palace and I loved it. I hope to read more of his books this year. And Kawabata was highly recommended by friends so I'm very enthusiastic about Snow Country.

[Raul]

Petra wrote: "Greg, I hope to get to Angle of Repose as well. I read another of Stegner's books, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, a few years ago and quite enjoyed that one. This group rea..."

I'm also going to read the second book of the In Search of Lost Time series. I would be more than happy to read it with you if you'd want.

[Chrissie]

Raul wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Raul,

So far my favorite by Auster is Timbuktu. Do you have a favorite?

I see you are going to read Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. Bot..."

Moon Palace did not blow me over...... You must know that he is married to the author Siri Hustvedt.

[Raul]

Chrissie wrote: "Raul wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Raul,

So far my favorite by Auster is Timbuktu. Do you have a favorite?

I see you are going to read Snow Country by [author:Yasunari Kawaba..."

No, I did not know this. I guess you literally learn something new everyday :)

[Chrissie]

Raul,
re Hustvedt and Auster

I think it is quite fun to imagine their discussions.

[Petra]

Chrissie wrote: "Petra, I keep debating if I should read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story."

Me, too, Chrissie. I keep waffling on whether to read it. I've decided I should at least try and see what happens. At best, it's fantastic. At worst, the book gets off my overloaded bookshelf. :D

[Petra]

Chrissie wrote: "You have some good ones there: the Glass Castle, Child 44 and Family Matters are all worth reading. Of those the first I liked best. I preferred A Fine Balance to Family Matters. Have fun.

All three of these are good.
My favorite of them is A Fine Balance. That one is epic.

[Petra]

Greg wrote: "Petra wrote: "Good to know I might not be the only late starter! :) ..."

:D
Good to know that I'll have company, too.

[Petra]

Raul wrote: "I'm also going to read the second book of the In Search of Lost Time series. I would be more than happy to read it with you if you'd want.. ..."

I'd like that Raul. Reading it with someone will ensure that I actually read it. :D
I'll message you and we can arrange something. Maybe someone else would like to join us?

[Chrissie]

Petra wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Petra, I keep debating if I should read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story."

Me, too, Chrissie. I keep waffling on whether to read it. I've de..."

I am curious sto see how you react to After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. you be the guinea pig!

We definitely agree about A Fine Balance. So many said this book was too depressing, so I wondered. I found it very good, even having snippets of humor.

[Cathie]

Happy June!

Plans for the month:

Play It as It Lays
Summer House with Swimming Pool
The White Rabbit - my mistake, won't be released until 12/16.
A Little Life
The Library at Mount Char
The Room


Finish Norwegian Wood
Finish One Hundred Years of Solitude - on hold
The God of Small Things - on hold
In the Time of the Butterflies - on hold

[Alice]

Oooh, these all look good! I love these groups...so many good books....haha....probably not good for my to-read list....but that's not getting any shorter anyway so ;)

So I realized this week that I actually haven't read *too* many books for fun this year...between school, reading articles online in spare moments, and general busyness, I've mostly picked up and started books or finished old books or read short stories online. So! This month I'm going to focus on finishing some of the longer ones I started and see if I can make room for new ones.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (except that I'm only reading part 1 of a 2 part series 'cause that's the only one I own....)
Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (this one was recommended by my boyfriend, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I do! I think I appreciate the character development and I really love the detailed world....although violence isn't really my thing)
Sylvie and Bruno (this one is part of an anthology and I may or may not try to read the whole thing)

[Gavin]

My plans for June:
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the Universe
Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
Spice and Wolf, Vol. 14
Anne of Ingleside
Rendezvous with Rama
Oliver Twist

[Petra]

Chrissie wrote: "We definitely agree about A Fine Balance. So many said this book was too depressing, so I wondered. I found it very good, even having snippets of humor. ..."

I read this pre-GR so have no review on it.
I don't remember it being depressing. There were moments of terrible happenings, just like Life sometimes gives everyone, but overall it is a positive, wonderful story.

[Chrissie]

Petra wrote: "There were moments of terrible happenings, just like Life sometimes gives everyone, but overall it is a positive, wonderful story."

That is exactly how I felt. It was not what others had told me though. I was so annoyed I had put it off so long.

[Alice]

Gavin wrote: "My plans for June:
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
[book:Scott Pilgrim Vs. the Universe|59895..."

Gavin, have you seen the movie? :D

[Myst]

Catchup:
Vector

Read-a-Long:
The Woman in White
Death's Rival

On Track:
Seizure
Marker

New Releases:
The Darkest Torment
End of Watch
Born of Legend

Time Allowing:
The Moscow Vector

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "Raul wrote: "I intend to read:.."

A great selection of books Raul! I've been wanting to read that one by Renault for a while!..."

I liked it a lot (no surprise there as I am a Renault fan!) but think the second book of the trilogy, The Persian Boy, was even better. It can be read first as this "trilogy" is very loose -- more that she wrote 3 books about Alexander the Great than a 3-part story.

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "Petra wrote: "Greg, I hope to get to Angle of Repose as well. I read another of Stegner's books, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, a few years..."

Good to know I might not be..."

You can add me to that list :D

[Leslie]

Alice wrote: "Oooh, these all look good! I love these groups...so many good books....haha....probably not good for my to-read list....but that's not getting any shorter anyway so ;)

So I realized this week that..."

So many good books that I sometimes get bewildered trying to figure out what to actually read! Enjoy your time with Sherlock Holmes :)

[Leslie]

Gavin wrote: "My plans for June:
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together..."

I see a couple I like towards the end of your list Gavin -- Oliver Twist is one I have loved every time I have read it! I will be looking forward to hearing how you like the Arthur C. Clarke book as I have access to that on my Kindle... I think it won a Hugo award?

[Greg]

Leslie wrote: "I liked it a lot (no surprise there as I am a Renault fan!) but think the second book of the trilogy, The Persian Boy, was even better. It can be read first as this "trilogy" is very loose -- more that she wrote 3 books about Alexander the Great than a 3-part story. ."

Good to know Leslie! I think I'd like to read them all one day, but it's helpful to know the order can be flexible.

[Pink]

I need some new books. Something easy and short while I finish off Ulysses

I'm going to try these next from the library -
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers
The Lion and the Jewel

[Chrissie]

Leslie, after Main Street should I try Arrowsmith? Is that a good pick for me?

[Leslie]

Chrissie wrote: "Leslie, after Main Street should I try Arrowsmith? Is that a good pick for me?"

If you don't have access to Elmer Gantry then I would say either Arrowsmith or Babbitt.

[Chrissie]

Yeah, I can get Gantry, but it seemed rather similar to what I just read! Also, evangelism/religious fanaticism makes me go cold.

[Gavin]

Leslie wrote: "I see a couple I like towards the end of your list Gavin -- Oliver Twist is one I have loved every time I have read it! I will be looking forward to hearing how you like the Arthur C. Clarke book as I have access to that on my Kindle... I think it won a Hugo award?"

According to the blurb in the cover, a Hugo and Nebula. I'll let you know what I think about it.

Alice wrote: "Gavin, have you seen the movie? :D "

Multiple times :)

[Alice]

I'm late to this thread. My June list is:

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile (finished - 4 stars)
Unless (just started)
A Fine Balance (readalong with Leslie when my library copy comes through)