June began with the close of a very long project I was working on and ended with a road trip to Acadia National Park and Prince Edward Island. The month was marked by a restlessness on my part, which manifested itself as a difficulty sitting still combined with a near total disinterest in doing much of anything. Not a great combination for reading. Luckily, this was also the month when I began listening to audiobooks while walking through the neighborhood or while making dinner or doing dishes, which helped increase my “books read” total for the month.
I’m not completely certain I like listening to audiobooks, at least as compared to reading the books myself. I worry that my opinion of the book is colored more than I’d like by the quality of the narration. But then, even when I read books myself, my opinion is colored by the ambient temperature, my level of fatigue, the snacks I have on hand, and whether I’m being interrupted by young humans or not. Objective rating of literature is probably not a realistic goal for me whether I have it read to me or read it myself.
At any rate, here’s what I read subjectively during June:
Grown-ups’ Books:
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard (stopped reading. I liked this one, I just wasn’t in the mood for nonfiction)
Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg (audiobook)
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (the May SBC selection)
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (audiobook)
The Martian by Andy Weir
Kids’ Books:
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (audiobook re-re-re-re-read as we explored PEI)
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (audiobook re-read as we explored Maine and New Brunswick)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald (read-aloud with my kids)
Currently Reading:
- The Histories by Herodotus (for my Cavalcade of Classics, as a never-ending read-aloud with my daughter)
- The Last Days of Socrates by Plato (read-aloud with my daughter)
- Greenwitch by Susan Cooper (audiobook, third book in the Dark is Rising series)
- Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James (SBC June selection)
- Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (audiobook; I suspect this is going to be a “stopped-reading” book)
My To-Read List for July:
- The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier (SBC July selection—Read along with us at our Goodreads Group!)
What have you enjoyed reading in the past month? What’s on your to-read list for July? Do you look pissed off when you’re actually happy? If you blog your answer, please post a link in the comments (and/or link back to this post, if you’re so inclined).
Imperfect Happiness 
6 Replies to “Bookends: June 2016”