Just when I thought it was safe. I only had one(!) novel checked out from the library, and I am about 30 pages away from finishing it. My plan was to stay away from library books for the summer, so I can concentrate on reading from my own piles. I am still in line for a very few books, but I thought they would be few and far in between. So what happens, but three books I really want to read were waiting for me and I've decided I'm now in the mood for a mystery I had looked at earlier this year. I've now got Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer, Stealing Athena by Karen Essex, The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman, and Shadows & Lies by Marjorie Eccles.
I never mentioned how things went with Carl's Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge. I didn't manage to read all the books on my list, but I was pleased with the two books that I did read. Susanna Clarke's The Ladies of Grace Adieu (also posted about here) was a great short story collection. I definitely need to get around to reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell now that I've gotten a taste of her fairy world. I also really enjoyed Betsy Tobin's Ice Land, which was a great mix of history, mythology and folklore! Thanks to Carl for organizing such wonderful challenges. Although I rarely read as many of the books as I set out to, it's always good to broaden my reading horizons a little bit, and I've found that I really enjoy reading books from this genre.
And now for an entirely different kind of reading project. I belong to an online reading group (where I get endless and excellent reading ideas), and I've joined their postal reading group. I had never heard of such a thing before, but it sounds like great fun and I'm really looking forward to it. I think there are about ten or so who will be participating. Each person selects a book that they want the group to read. I send the book I've selected to the person who comes after me on the list. The person before me sends me a book they've chosen. So my book will make its round to everyone on the list, and I'll get a chance to read the book the other participants have selected. If that makes sense? I've got my book picked out and ready to be mailed on July 1. Everyone includes a notebook in their parcel and each person will write their thoughts in it about the book they've read. After everyone's had a chance to read all the books, mine will come back to me along with a notebook filled with comments. I hope the book I chose appeals to most people, and I am definitely looking forward to reading some good (and hopefully new to me) books.
And a little reminder. If you're interested in winning a copy of The Savage Garden by Mark Mills (I've got eight of them to give away), please leave a comment here. I'll randomly choose names tomorrow morning. There are no restrictions on where the books can be sent this time around. I thought it was a wonderfully entertaining read--just the thing for a lazy summer day!