Once again I have a late post, mostly because the last week has been far more on the insane than the sane side. Basically, I decided to leave my job and I’ve been trying to deal with all the things that come along with leaving a job you’ve been at for ten years. I have also decided to spend some time just relaxing and doing what I want to do before I start school again in less than three weeks… Where did the summer go?
Anywho, what have I been reading for the last two months or so?
For a while there I really wasn’t reading much or I was just skipping around. However, I have had a few good reads from June and July. One of the books I’m sure I’ve mentioned at some point is The Electric Church by Jeff Somers. While I haven’t finished my review yet, it will be up soon, and I can tell you now I definitely liked the first of Somers’s Avery Cates novels. I also read my first book by Jared Diamond, Why is Sex Fun? The History of Human Sexuality. There were some new facts and some facts I’m definitely familiar with, but overall it was worth reading. As part of one of the TLC Book Tours I read Kicking Ass and Saving Souls by David Matthews, the story of a man who has lived a life beyond anything most people will ever experience or dream. More recently I read The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinners Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose, which I very much enjoyed. I’ll have a review of that up soon too!
Aside from the three books I mentioned before, most of my reading was either very choppy – books that I would start, but not stick with – or it was one romance author or another who I went on mini kicks with. I tried reading Omega by Jack McDevitt, but every time I picked up the book I would only get a few pages before I was distracted or interrupted and I just decided to save it for later. Sadly, I never finished Heartless by Gail Carriger. I’ve been reading a chapter every couple of weeks, and much as I still love the story, I just haven’t committed to finishing it yet. I am looking forward to picking it up again soon though and finishing the second half of it. As for my mini-romance-author-kicks, there were three over the last couple months. They are Maya Banks, Lori Foster, and Tara Janzen who I’m sure I’ll talk about in more depth at some point.
Over the last crazy week, I’ve been bouncing between four books. Those are The Philosopher’s Kiss by Peter Prange, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach, Passionate Minds: Women Rewriting the World by Claudia Roth Pierpont, and The Artificial Ape: How Technology Changed the Course of Human Evolution by Timothy Taylor. I’m planning to finish these in the next few days and after that I’ve got a few books lined up that I’d like to read. Books I’m planning on reading: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson, and a few review books that I’ve got. I’m also reviewing another book for TLC Book Tours at the end of the month, Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant which looks promising, so keep an eye out for that. Apart from those, who knows what I’ll come up with? Only time will tell.
Happy Reading!
Among Stories 
I’ll be very interested in your review of The Artificial Ape.
BTW – I’ve just posted a review of a TV show I think you’d like….
I’ve seen the first two episodes of Lost in Austen, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on a copy so I can see the second half of the show. What I have seen was quite entertaining though. I definitely got a few laughs out of it. I look forward to seeing how things turn out.
As for The Artificial Ape, what I’ve read has been interesting. I’m hoping to finish it in the next couple of days.
I did think you’d like LiA. It’s certainly well worth hunting down the DVD. The documentaries are pretty good too with some decent interviews.
Oh, I almost forgot. I read ‘Emma’ a little while ago. The review should be up next Monday.
Getting a copy of Lost in Austen is on the list, it just comes down to getting the bills paid then worrying about finding a copy.
I very much look forward to your thoughts on Emma, especially considering Emma is supposed to be a character that’s difficult to like. I’ve had a copy of it, and Austen’s other novels, for a while now, but I haven’t gotten around to sitting down with them yet.