May Booklist

I definitely chose slightly longer books in May. Still, I'm not sure how I managed it but I got through 11 new books bringing the total to 49 for the year to date.  So I only need to read one book in June to be on target for the 100 needed in the year.  I think I can manage that.  So my reading list for June will definitely contain some longer books that I was too concerned to tackle earlier in the year.

May's reading list was:

1. Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
2. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
3. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
4. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
5. Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
6. The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll
7. Hexed by Kevin Hearne
8. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
9. Hero by Perry Moore
10. When the Stars Fall to Earth by Rebecca Tinsley
11. V for Vendetta by Steve Moore

Some reflections on what I read: Silver Linings was probably the most enjoyable.  I read this just before watching the movie when it came out on DVD.  I have to say, as always, the book was better than the movie, IMO.  The movie was good in its own right but there were too many stars in the movie that needed a significant part carved out that just wasn't there in the book.  On the flipside I read V for Vendetta based on the movie I enjoyed a few years ago and it was well written enough but was really just a reflection of the screenplay -- so that was a little disappointing.  Other stand outs for me were Portrait, Snow Child, Agent and Land of Laughs.  I really didn't know what to expect with these ones and was pleasantly surprised for different reasons.  James Joyce is definitely a challenge but worth the effort.  I want to pick up something else he's done soon and already put Dubliners on my wish list.

I think I have some good ones lined up for this month so we shall see how they go.  Until then...

April Booklist

Still ahead of where I need to be for total number of books, which now amounts to 38.  In May I can read some longer books that I've been wanting to get to for a while.  These are the 10 that I read in April:

1. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood
2. Farside by Ben Bova
3. Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer
4. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
5. Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
6. Beyond Religion by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
7. The Last Hunter -- Ascent by Jeremy Robinson
8. Treason by Orson Scott Card
9. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill
10. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller

March Booklist

So by this stage I should have 25 books under my belt if I am going to hit my target of 100 books by the end of the year.  I am happy to report that I have exceeded that goal which gives me the opportunity to read a book or two that is longer than the ones I typically need to focus on.  Here's the list for March:

1. Darklandia by T.S. Welti
2. Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner
5. Pure by Julianna Baggott
6. Hounded by Kevin Hearne
7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
8. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
9. Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
10. Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

 That brings the total to 28.

It seems that a lot of my reading in the past couple of weeks has been apocalyptic (or post-apocalyptic) in nature (6/10 of the above), so during April I am going to try to vary the subject matter a little.  That is, once I finish number 7 post-apocalyptic novel.

February Booklist

I'm still on track to get to 100 books by the end of this year.  But February's target was much harder to reach than last month's.  We had a week where family was visiting which chewed up those little moments when its possible to steal a read here and there.  I also had to stop running for a while due to an overuse injury, which also takes away a set amount of time that is hard to get back from elsewhere.  I will need to be careful in March!  So here's the list:

1. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
6. Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz
7. Fight Club by Chuck Palahnuik
8. The Last Hunter - Descent by Jeremy Robinson
9. The Last Hunter - Pursuit by Jeremy Robinson

There were some great reads in this list.  Probably my favorites would be Harold Fry, Bernadette and Fault in Our Stars.

January Booklist

So new in 2013 I set an objective for myself (don't like the term New Year Resolution) of reading 100 books in the 12 month period.  I knew this would be tough because all I managed last year was about 40 or so.  However, with new resolve I got stuck into for January and managed to get through 9 books which is right on target -- if I can keep it up.  Here's the list:

1. The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman
2. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
3. The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl, C M Kombluth
4. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
5. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
6. Accidental Genius by Mark Levy
7. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman
8. 14 by Peter Clines
9. Bossypants by Tina Fey

It definitely helps that I am "reading" audiobooks (thanks @audible) and that I run a lot!