Books in June, 2010

It's that time of the month again. It's the end of June, half a year, 63 books. Most of which were 140 page preteen fic so that number is not meant to impress. But keeping lists of what I've read was really a great idea because I actually remember what I read! (Shocker)


1. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
I don't want to be lengthy here, but this might be the most beautiful book I've ever read. It's like light literally shone through the words.


2. Calamity Jack, Shannon and Dean Hale
A great sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge. The art was beautiful, and I think I like Jack better then Punzzie. The pixie was an awesome character.


3. A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Connor
Technically a short story, but I read it, so it counts. Flannery's writing is so literal and exact, but the whole thing reads like magical realism.


4. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
As a lover of anything Greek Mythos, I automatically liked this book. It was written in the 20th century, but it felt translated. I don't know how the author achieved that, it was amazing.


5. Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor
This book was so good I read it twice. It was beautiful and symbolic and very religious and very shameless about the Biblical parallels and judgments made on humanity. You don't see that very often.


6. Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan
I've heard this story countless times, so I finally read it. It was eye opening, and encouraging and John Bunyan pinpointed every type of Christian, every type of sinner, every sort of temptation. It was really beautiful.


7. Christiana, John Bunyan
This one (which I prefer) reads more like a romance and an adventure story than an allegory. Or maybe it reads that way because the reader is already familiar with the stops along the way to "heaven." Also REFORMED THEOLOGY FOR THE WIN.


8. Sorcery and Cecelia, Patricia C Wrede
A pointless, adorable fantasy set in Regency times. Fluffy, hysterical, enjoyable. The authors did a good job capturing the wordy style without being annoying.


9. Gone and Back, Rockne O'Bannon
This story is probably my favorite so far, it went where the show would have gone. And Katrala broke my heart, which was hard to do considering John and Aeryn are destined.


10. All Alone in the Universe, Lynne Rae Perkins
All I can say is that Lynne Rae Perkins must have kept some seriously detailed journals as a preteen. No other author can capture the adolescent gloom in such a poignant way without getting melodramatic.


11. Northward to the Moon, Polly Horvath
This book was made for me I think. It had landscape porn. Motels and diners and Native American tribes and Signs and Wonders and lovable but pieced together families. Polly Horvath is magic.

It was boiling at work today. So I sat in the freezer and ate yogurt to cool off. The freezer smells like olives and I don't mind.
Dear Mulder and Scully, how do you except me to focus on the plot when you keep looking at each other like that? You are acting like 15-year-olds on your first date, so just calm down. Love, Me.