Jessica Day George

Saturday, June 9, 2012

It's Summer Reading Time, Kids!

BONJOUR!

I am feeling in high spirits (and also slight French, apparently), because I have finished the major edits for PRINCESS OF THE SILVER WOODS.  I dislike editing.  Editing is hard.  Writing the rough draft of a book is my favorite thing in the history of ever.  I go through rough drafts like a toddler running screaming through a meadow full of puppies and candy.  Every word is magical, and I am a genius.  So when I have to go back to that magical manuscript and cut some of those magical words, and fix the flaws that I was convinced did not exist . . . well, it's not my favorite, okay?

So let's not talk about it anymore, because that is as done as a pair of doney things!  YAY!

And now I can buckle down and KILL THE TO-READ PILE.  I think I blogged at the beginning of the year about how I wanted to get my to-read shelf on Goodreads down to less than a hundred or something.  Well.  My to-read shelf now has 316 books on it.  Yes.  It's gone UP.  I'm reading, I swear I am!  But people keep writing more wonderful books!  It's very stressful.  So this summer I'd at least like to get below 300.  That seems doable, right?  And I have some great things to read.  Right now on my bedside table, in my to-read-immediately pile, I have:

UNEXPECTED MAGIC by Diana Wynne Jones
THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson
ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson
THE WISE MAN'S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss
THE HYPNOTIST by Lars Kepler
LADY FRIDAY by Garth Nix
GANYMEDE by Cherie Priest
CITY OF FIRE and CITY OF ICE by Laurence Yep (Give a cheer if you know his wonderful, award-winning DRAGONWINGS!)
DOWN THE MYSTERLY RIVER by Bill Willingham
THE MIDNIGHT PALACE by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
ROT & RUIN by Jonathan Maberry
CATE OF THE NEW COLONY by Lisa Klein
DANIEL DERONDA by George Eliot
THE CLOCKWORK THREE by Matthew Kirby

I'm currently reading CRYER'S CROSS by Lisa McMann (which I love), and I just finished CINDER by Marissa Meyer (which was AWESOME).

But.  There's a little thing called rereading.  It's a little something I've been in the mood for lately, y'know?  I'd like to do some comfort reading.  Sure, these shiny books on the bedside table are calling my name, and some have been there for a sad amount of time.  But lately I've had quite the hankering to reread SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley.  And THE WAR OF THE FLOWERS by Tad Williams.  I keep telling people about JANE by April Linder, which makes me want to pick it up again myself.  Last year I reread THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR and THE STONE OF FAREWELL by Tad Williams, which means it's time for TO GREEN ANGEL TOWER.  Sigh.  Fortunately, my kids are providing a great excuse to reread some things, too.  Last night we started HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, and I'm wondering if we should try THE SECRET GARDEN or A LITTLE PRINCESS next.

It's a big wide world full of books out there, kids!  Exciting and wonderful!  Go ahead and tell me in the comments what books you're excited to read this summer!  And if you're on Goodreads, make sure you "friend" me so that we can see each other's books!

And by the way: this week I signed myself up for my local library's summer reading program.  I also signed up Boy and Baby Girl.  Boy gets a free book for reading 20 minutes for x number of days, I just need to read 8 books by August, and Baby Girl gets points when we read aloud to her.  Fun!  Check out your local library to see if they have a program!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Ohhh. Read Way of Kings next.

Also, stop telling me about books I need to add to my own TBR list. At this rate, I'll NEVER get any writing done.

*has no self-control*

Rachel6 said...

I keep hearing Diana Wynne Jones, and keep thinking I need to read her books. And then I reach the library and go all ADD and forget what I meant to check out....

My reading list this summer is Improving Books, at my brother's command, which means Faulkner, Joseph Conrad, T.S. Eliot, and other literary giants. (But not Hemingway. I read some Hemingway. I HATE Hemingway.) My other reading list is as much of Terry Pratchett as I can get my hands on, Diana Wynne Jones, and whatever other books my friend hands me.

I just realized: I book-shop by author. Huh.

Rachel6 said...

I keep hearing Diana Wynne Jones, and keep thinking I need to read her books. And then I reach the library and go all ADD and forget what I meant to check out....

My reading list this summer is Improving Books, at my brother's command, which means Faulkner, Joseph Conrad, T.S. Eliot, and other literary giants. (But not Hemingway. I read some Hemingway. I HATE Hemingway.) My other reading list is as much of Terry Pratchett as I can get my hands on, Diana Wynne Jones, and whatever other books my friend hands me.

I just realized: I book-shop by author. Huh.

Emma Heuchert said...

Diana Wynne Jones! I love her books so much =D Another great book to read, and read aloud to kids, is The Phantom Tollbooth, if you haven't already read it to your kids (or even if you have). I completely adore that book, and am considering rereading it soon!

Anastasia @ Here There Be Books said...

Yay for Diana Wynne Jones! I actually just reread all her Chrestomanci books last month. SO GOOD.

And! The War of the Flowers has been on my TBR list for, like...years? I think this summer would be a good time to finally read it. :D

Angie said...

I wish my to-read list was below 300...Can't wait until Silver Woods is out!

Emily said...

I'm in the middle of Way of Kings. It is so good and so HUGE!!! Hooray!

I've been wanting to reread all my Shannon Hale books and Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley.

cfish77 said...

Right now I'm trying to finally get through "Mockingjay," and there are some book group picks I really should get started on, among other things

Cassandra Covill said...

My to-read pile sounds pretty similar to yours, and right now I have the dilemma of being half-way through about ten books. I pick one up that I've been wanting to read, start reading, and then my amazon order comes, and then I start reading one of those shiny new books I just purchased.

I just finished THE EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION OF NICHOLAS BENEDICT by Trenton Lee Stewart (the man is a genius!) and now I'm tempted to reread the MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY and the rest of the series. Another I've been tempted to reread is SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW (I believe you are familiar with that one).

Between borrowing books from my sister and ordering them online, I don't think I'll ever end up finishing MOCKINGJAY. I'll be too caught up with HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Dianna Wynne Jones), the second BEYONDERS (Brandon Mull), and some others that I've been dying to read!

Mara A. said...

"Lady Friday" is sooo good. I still have to read the series finale - "Lord Sunday."