June and July Reading

[myrna-nora.livejournal.com]

Almost no reading in June....
I found a delightfully illustrated biography for children: (20.) Just Being Audrey (2011) Margaret Cardillo and Julia Denos. I adored the pictures and read through the text a few times, wishing there was more to the slim volume. The book reminded me, Audrey had won a posthumous spoken-word Grammy for (21.) Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales (1992) Adapted by Mary Sheldon. It's a very brief audiobook collection of fairy tales, but Audrey's gentle voice made it worth seeking out.

Tried a few chapters of Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder (2009) Shamini Flint. It seemed okay, but I didn't feel like reading. Then I tried re-reading some books I knew I liked, but absolutely nothing caught my interest.

Then on the last day of June, I picked up (22.) Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975) Elizabeth Peters. I've passed the the Amelia Peabody mysteries on the shelves a million times and never gave them much thought. Then I decided on a whim to give it a try.... I immediately became addicted to her narrative style, the humor, the romance, and the Victorian adventure romps in Egypt.

Which is why July looked like this:
(23.) The Curse of the Pharaohs (1981) Elizabeth Peters
(24.) The Mummy Case (1985)
(25.) Lion in the Valley (1986)
(26.) The Deeds of the Disturber (1988)
(27.) The Last Camel Died at Noon (1991)
I need a break, because I'm burned out on these now.

(28.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) J. K. Rowling.
I still haven't got a chance to see part 2 of Deathly Hallows, but it's been mentioned so many times I decided I needed a re-read.

(29.) King Solomon's Mines (1885) H. Rider Haggard.
Amelia Peabody mentions Mr. Rider Haggard's books so often, I decided to give it a try. I can really see how this inspired Peters's writings. The style is very similar, but it doesn't have any of Amelia's humor. It's mostly a boys-only adventure story, and the only character I found remotely interesting was the impossibly-ancient villainess... who I might have been secretly rooting for to crush all those boring, high-and-mighty Englishmen. *Insert nefarious laughter here.*

Kiwiria's Books for July

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

( 21 books this month )

Book of the Month: Ultraviolet.
Biggest Disappointment: The Dinner Club.