A few days late this month, because 1st of July was my birthday, then yesterday I spent the day starting to tidy up my house. It’s not a one-day kind of job, but when I woke this morning I realised it’s July! And I’d not yet posted my Month of Reading!
Half of June was taken up by the Future Bookshop residency and winding-up of Emerging Writers Festival. I’m on university holidays, and I should have had lots of time to read (and write!), but I honestly don’t know what I’ve been doing with my time!
I did re-discover the magical place that is Kew Salvos though, and so I came out with all the “books bought” below for just $10.
Anyway, here’s the books I spent time with this month. What did you read?
Books Bought:
Grave Secret, by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World, by Charlaine Harris
Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
The Hours, by Michael Cunningham
Gifted:
The Emerging Writer, ed. Karen Pickering
Books Read:
The Summer Without Men, by Siri Hustvedt
Bite Your tongue, by Francesca Rendle-Short
Currently Reading:
The Confidence Gap, by Russ Harris
Wabi Sabi Love, by Arielle Ford
Love and Hunger, by Charlotte Wood
Sam van Zweden 
03/07/2012 at 6:54 am
I’ve read five books this holidays, some of it from the Contemporary Aust Writing reading list for uni.
03/07/2012 at 6:56 am
Great idea, Ben! Getting ahead on uni reading is really smart. I’m actually not sure what/if there are any set texts for me next semester. This is both good and bad. I can at least catch up on research for my major project instead of having to prioritize other stuff!
What’s on the Contemporary Aust Writing list this semester? I hope they haven’t removed Tom Cho, I love him!
03/07/2012 at 11:40 am
No Tom Cho this semester but have read ‘Look Who’s Morphing’ already and loved it. I’ve read ‘Blood’ by Tony Birch and ‘Her Farher’s Daughter’ by Alice Pung and am now onto ‘Past the Shallows’ by Favel Parret.
This is the list:
Favel Parrett, Past the Shallows (2011)
Tony Birch, Blood (2011)
Steven Amsterdam, What the Family Needed (2011)
J. M. Coetzee, Diary of a Bad Year (2007).
Nam Le, The Boat (2008).
Alice Pung, Her Father’s Daughter (2011)
03/07/2012 at 12:15 pm
Awesome list, Ben. The Boat is brilliant. I really enjoyed “What the Family Needed”.
Hated Diary of a Bad Year.
I did notice some of these books on your GoodReads and thought they were uncharacteristic choices, but now it all makes sense 🙂 Enjoy your reading!
03/07/2012 at 3:54 pm
I am currently reading God Save The Quuen by Kath Locke and A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin.
Just finished Writing Steampunk by Beth Daniels
03/07/2012 at 4:10 pm
I openly admit that I have not been able to keep up with the amazing and provoking titles that you have been sharing. Like you I have been prioritizing my time and focusing on the many tasks of life and transitions. I want to say specifically that I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts. I am inspired by your writing challenges and look forward to the days and time ahead that I can fit more of my life in the world of writing and less in the world of collecting data to write about. (not literally, but you know what I mean.) Look forward to staying in virtual touch. You’re great.
03/07/2012 at 4:43 pm
Hi Rhonda – Thanks for the considered comment! And thanks for the “Happy Birthday”, I had a good one 🙂
I find I go through stages where either my reading or writing suffers some, but eventually it balances with the times that I can lock myself away and do nothing but. I hope the same happens for your practices.
S
03/07/2012 at 4:10 pm
P.S. Happy Birthday, and I’m so glad you took some time off 🙂
03/07/2012 at 7:11 pm
Reading ‘Swamplandia’ by the amazing Karen Russell – and yes, it was good enough to deserve a Pulitzer. Her rich and witty prose is frightfully good.
04/07/2012 at 6:05 am
Glad you had a great day. Were there any cupcakes? I have been slack with my reading.. I got most of the way through Tim WInton’s Dirt Music and then I got sick and my head couldn’t bare to read. I am now reading a mock fantasy book thats pretty silly – Arabella Carabella, but funny as well.