June Reads (also, 9 Years of this Little Space)

Oh, summer. Warmer temperatures, eight weeks off, and so much time to read. I usually put up my big numbers in July, but I started off the summer well, with five books. Considering I had to finish up the school year and took two short trips with a five-year-old I'm pleased. I'm also happy that it was such a good month of reading, with variety. 

I started off finishing our English department book club's choice, Less by Andrew Sean Greer. The book, a Pulitzer winner, is about middle-aged Arthur Less, a writer whose boyfriend is about to marry someone else. He decides to accept any and all invitations that span the glove, taking him to places like Europe, Latin America, and Egypt. Told in an episodic style, something I love, we learn more about him, his past, and his struggles. It's well-written, poignant, witty, and thought-provoking.

I read one non-fiction book this month, 26 Marathons by runner-extraordinaire Meb Keflzighi. I stand by my opinion that everyone can benefit from running memoirs; the drive, motivation, logic, and passion that professional runners exhibit is something we could all use a positive example of. I earmarked a few pages on perseverance and goals to share with my students at the start of the school year.  

I read Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, my first fiction Murakami. I loved it! I loved this narrative voice, his ability to craft such imagery of various places in Japan, and the subtle humor that popped up. I can't wait to dive into more of his work- I've had Kafka on the Shore for years. 

I read Ian McEwan's Machines Like Me, which I discussed with Julie here (we both really liked it!). I also finished up the hot-read of the summer, The Farm by Joanne Ramos, which I discussed through a feminist-lite sort of perspective in this post (if you want a lighter, modern take on The Handmaid's Tale it's for you... a great summer read!). 

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Nine years ago today I wrote my very first blog post here. I've always loved having this space of the internet to talk about books, or whatever else I want. There are posts that have 10 views and posts that have 300.... There are many posts with 0 comments... and quite a few with several... Honestly, though, I do it because I really enjoy it and it's a creative outlet that I need. I'm so thankful for those of you who read and even more thankful for people I've met through blogging that I've interacted in real life.