Jessica Day George

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Summer Readin' Roundup!

YEEEEEHAW!

I know what you pardners are all wonderin': Did Jessica get rid of that triple stack of books on her bedside table?

Yeah.  Of course I didn't.  We all knew the answer to THAT.  No sooner had I blogged about getting that stack whipped into shape than like SEVEN books I'd had on hold at the library forever came in for me.  I'd gotten down to two smaller stacks, and then my publisher released six fantastic books I'd been waiting for.  Let's face it: I will never NOT have multiple stacks of books on my bedside table.

Le sigh.

Yet as I type that, I'm smiling.  Oh, and wearing a nightshirt my sister gave me that says, "I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books."  The other day my son pointed to my nightshirt and said, "That just EXPLAINS you, you know, Mommy?"

"Indeed, my son.  I do know."

So what did get read this summer?

(The asterisk means I own it.)

EARWIG AND THE WITCH - Diana Wynne Jones *
PANDEMONIUM - Lauren Oliver
CRYER'S CROSS - Lisa McMann
STEVE JOBS - Walter Isaacson *
CINDER - Marissa Meyer
DEADLOCKED - Charlaine Harris
THE KNEEBONE BOY - Ellen Potter
FINN FAMILY MOOMINTROLL - Tove Jansson *
CONFESSIONS OF A SCARY MOMMY - Jill Smokler
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER - Seth Grahame-Smith *
LET'S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED - Jenny Lawson
I AM FORBIDDEN - Anouk Markovits
UNEXPECTED MAGIC - Diana Wynne Jones *
LADY FRIDAY - Garth Nix *
GANYMEDE - Cherie Priest *
READY PLAYER ONE - Ernest Cline
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE - Diana Wynne Jones *
THE WISE MAN'S FEAR - Patrick Rothfuss  *
DAYDREAMS OF A SOLITARY HAMSTER - Astrid Desbordes
RAMPANT - Diana Peterfreund
THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW - Robin Wasserman
THE SISTERS BROTHERS - Patrick DeWitt
SIZE 12 AND READY TO ROCK - Meg Cabot
REDSHIRTS - John Scalzi
BRINGING UP BEBE - Pamela Druckerman
FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS - Diana Peterfreund
TEAM HUMAN - Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
MOOMINPAPPA'S MEMOIRS - Tove Jansson *
ARCHIE MEETS KISS (No.  Seriously.)
SMILE - Raina Telgemeier
GHOST STORY - Jim Butcher *
ROT & RUIN - Jonathan Maberry *
A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES - Deborah Harkness
BABYMOUSE: DRAGONSLAYER - Jenni and Matt Holm

Currently reading: GIRL OF NIGHTMARES - Kendare Blake

So.  That's . . . 34 and 1/2 books!  I also read PRINCESS OF THE SILVER WOOD twice, once to do copy edits, and once to proofread.  Which totally counts!

And now I'm embarking on my fall reading, which will include a little project.  What's that, you say?  Well, for one thing, I'm toying with the idea of rereading some things.  I read HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE aloud to the kids, and it really made me want to revisit some old favorites.  I've thought of reading one old book for every two new ones I read in the next few months.  I may do that.  But also, every time I walk through my bedroom, I see my Harry Potter books.  They are lovingly displayed atop my dresser, with Harry Potter bookends holding them in place.  I get the urge to pick them up and look at the pretty, pretty covers, and maybe read a page or two.  So I decided to start a little project.  I will read one chapter of Harry Potter every day (starting today!) and see how long it takes me to get through the entire series!  I was going to add up the number of chapters and try to tell you exactly how long it will take . . . but I'm not good at math so I didn't.  If somebody wants to do that for me, they totally can.

And that's what I'll be doing this fall!  Along with reading:

GIRL OF NIGHTMARES
PRINCESS ACADEMY: PALACE OF STONE
SCARLET
BLEEDING HEARTS
THRONE OF GLASS
OUT FOR BLOOD
CATE OF THE LOST COLONY
THE CLOCKWORK THREE
ANATHEM
THE WAY OF KINGS
THE HYPNOTIST

And many, many more!

What are you reading as we cozy our way into fall?

9 comments:

Liana said...

I can't wait to read Princess of the Silver Woods!

Talia said...

I plowed through Throne of Glass last week, I think you'll enjoy it! Next to the bed I've got Sherweod Smith's Spy Princess, a book called Secrets of the Samurai on loan from my Sensei, Naahmahs Blessing by Jacqueline Carey and my Kindle. Actually on the Kindle are house of Shadows, For Darkness Shows the Stars, Bitterblue, the Witch's Daughter, Spitfire, Spellcast, and Liar's Moon. I think Crown of Embers comes out next week, too, which I preordered and I really want to read the Far West by Patricia Wrede, which has not been released on Kindle like its predecessors, so I may have to splurge on the Hardback..

Anonymous said...

Way to go on your Summer Reading List, Jessica! You read a bunch of terrific books (actually, I've only read a few of the ones you listed, so I have no idea if they were all terrific, but you've got good taste, so I trust you). It looks like you've got a fun line-up for this fall, too.

Fall seems to be re-reading season, for me. In the last few weeks, I've re-read HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (love it!), THE SCORPIO RACES (totally love it!), and FOREST BORN (sigh of wonder). There's something about turning to old favorites at this time of year.... However, I am really looking forward to reading PRINCESS ACADEMY: PALACE OF STONE. I'm waiting for it to arrive in the mail as we speak (er...as I type).

I'm so excited for December and the release of PRINCESS OF THE SILVER WOOD! It's on my Christmas list, and Santa had better get it for me. :) I had the great privilege of recommending your Dragon Slippers series to a nine-year-old boy of my acquaintance. I love recommending your books to people, hearing them say they loved them, and then throwing them the lil' ol' fact that I know you. You make me cool, Jessica. :)

Andi Sherwood said...

I'm curious as to which ones you liked best and/or would recommend. I know that's probably hard so I'd love to hear like your top 5 must-reads. :) I ended up reading several from your list last summer including the Soulless series and really enjoyed everything! :)

BBB said...

Holy smokes I just finished DIVERGENT. I thought it was a great, fresh take on the ever popular dystopian society theme. Page turner, I couldn't put it down. INSURGENT and PALACE OF STONE are waiting for me at the Library. I'm also looking forward to THE MARK OF ATHENA and REACHED that come out soon.

BBB said...

PS - Are you lucky enough to get your hands on an ARC of SCARLET by Meyer!?? If so, I'm jealous. The perks of being a successful writer... sigh.

Unknown said...

I loved Princess Academy: Palace of Stone.
I can't wait to read Princess of the Silver Woods.
I am currently reading Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

~T~ said...

I read a couple of your books this summer. I love the textiles--Creel's embroidery, Galen's knitting. And the rest of the stories, too, of course. Thanks for writing them!

Now I'm reading Mistborn, and I'm looking forward to The Far West, Death Comes to Pemberley, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, and The Curse of the Blue Tattoo. One of my sons kept obsessively rereading the Harry Potter books, so I hid them away. I'm about ready to get them out again, too, but somehow there's no room left on the shelf anymore.

Mara A. said...

Well, one book that is definitely on my Fall/Winter reading list is "Princess of the Silver Wood." Really looking forward to its release!!! I'm actually starting my Fall reading list with "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow." Really liking it so far! :)