Here’s what I read in June:

1. The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde (374 p.)
2. Lost in a Good Book (A Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde (399 p.)
3. The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next Series) by Jasper Fforde (360 p.)
4. Something Rotten (Thursday Next Novels) by Jasper Fforde (393 p.)–Yes, well it’s FUN reading all of the Thursday Next books, one right after the other. Granted, I think the first one is still the funniest and best, but the second is nearly as good. The third is the weakest, in my opinion, but the fourth is a good comeback. And, regardless, they are ALL wacky, creative, and totally unlike anything else that’s out there.

5. The Unicorn Hunt: The Fifth Book of the House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett (656 p.) The 5th Nicholas book, and a heart-breaker, as Nicholas tries to track down Gelis and find out whether her child is really his …

6. Archangel (Samaria, Book 1) by Sharon Shinn (390 p.) One of my long-time favorite books, part sci-fi, part romance, and purely wonderful.

7. The Tall Pine Polka by Lorna Landvik (440 p.) I like so many of Landvik’s books, but this is the one I go back to most often. Something about the Hollywood fairytale of Fenny being discovered and making a movie, alongside a delightful cast of characters … and I still want to know what’s in that Cup O’Delight!

8. A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams by Michael Pollan (301 p.) A charming book about the author building his own “hut” to use as an office when his son is born. Bits and tidbits about architecture and construction, and wholly entertaining. I don’t know what it is about this little mini-niche-genre, but I just love reading books like this.

9. Highland Laddie Gone by Sharon McCrumb (209 p.)
10. Paying the Piper by Sharon McCrumb (179 p.)
11. Windsor Knot by Sharon McCrumb (217 p.)–Light weight little mysteries with Elizabth MacPherson getting mixed up with murder investigations. The Highland Laddie book is a hoot, with the murder taking place at a Scottish Games weekend. (Love when they try to replace the ducks used in the herding competition with wild ducks. And the scene where the sheriff–who happens to be a Civil War reenactor–rides over the hill in his 1860s uniform to confront a bunch of scots in kilts is delightful.) I love the Windsor Knot, too, which has Elizabeth throwing together a wedding at the last minute to make herself eligible to go to the Queen’s garden party … and this was my first introduction to a “travelling gnome.” I’ve still never forgiven the author for killing off Cameron in later books.

12. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy (540 p.)
13. The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy (547 p.)
14. Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan) by Tom Clancy (688 p.)
15. The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy (914 p.)
16. Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy (990 p.)
17. Executive Orders by Tom Clancy–Yes, well, everybody needs a Jack Ryan fix once in a while, right? And yes, these ARE huge books and I read a lot of them, though I’ll confess to you that I mostly skim over the military battles–all that techno-babble military jargon pretty much goes over my head anyway. I stick to the spy stuff and the actual ‘story’ parts. Really, for such door-stoppers, these are pretty quick reads, you know!

18. Spin Control by Amy King (119 p.) Another excellent, intermidiate book about spinning. (Review here.)

19. Knit it Together by Suzyn Jackson (144 p.) A look at social knitting in America–past and present. (Review here.)

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books from June // 5 Comments »