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Reading report for June 2011

June was another slow reading month for me, with 9 books finished. I love reading and ideally I would like to read a book a day, but when one suffers from chronic myalgia it is easy to read oneself into a state of pain, stiffness and headaches that take far longer to get rid of than to acquire. Therefore I have been taking it easy with shorter reading sessions (except for one book, which I simply couldn‘t put down once I had started reading it). The fitness class paid off as well – I feel less stiff and the headaches are gone, but I need to be careful. The time I would otherwise have spent reading has not been wasted, however. I have been watching some of the dvds I acquired over a number of years but never watched, and I have also been doing a couple of crafts projects, also taking care never to overdo it.

The books were the usual mélange of genres, although my consumption of mysteries has dropped dramatically lately. This is a bit alarming because more than half of my TBR books are mysteries and as you may remember I am trying to deplete some of that pile. However, I just haven‘t felt like reading one for a while, so that‘s that.

Two of the month‘s books were rereads: the Father Brown books. Several years ago I acquired e-book editions (text files actually) of that whole series and printed them out and bound them into books as part of my bookbinding class. I had recently read them when I did this, so they stood unread on my shelves for a number of years until I decided it was time for a reread. I have been reading them while I eat my breakfast and dinner, and usually finish 1-2 stories per day.
Books I may finish before the end of the month include The Last Great American Housewife by Staci Greason, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and Stay the Night by Lynn Viehl.

The Books I read in June:
  • Michelle Berriedale-Johnson: Food Fit for Pharaohs: An Ancient Egyptian Cookbook. Historical recipes.
  • G.K. Chesterton: The Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father Brown. Mystery short stories.
  • Josie Dew: Travels in a Strange State. Travelogue.
  • Georgette Heyer: The Spanish Bride. Historical novel.
  • Mari Mancusi: Boys That Bite. YA urban fantasy.
  • Lynn Viehl: Twilight Fall. Urban fantasy.
  • Winifred Watson: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Novel.
  • Simon & Rupert Winchester: Simon Winchester's Calcutta. Portrait of a place.
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Comments

Falaise said…
I enjoyed the Josie Dew book when I read it. What was the Egyptian recipe book like - it sounds intriguing?
July 01, 2011 3:25 pm
Bibliophile said…
Well, since the ancient Egyptians didn't actually leave any recipes behind them, it is pretty much a selection of simple, traditional Egyptian recipes using ingredients known to have existed during the Pharaonic era, such as crops and animals depicted in murals, mentioned in written texts or found in tomb excavations. It was published by the British Museum, so I expect it must be based on pretty good research.
July 01, 2011 8:54 pm
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