Um, I’m sorry, what happened to July?! Someone asked me
the date today at work nd I unwittingly said the twenty-second before I was not-so-graciously (think lots of
office laughter and condescending pity stares) informed that it was, in fact,
THE LAST DAY OF JULY. Um. You turn around for one second and a whole month
sneaks right past you. I need to be more a whole lot more of a whole lot of
things, including, you know, observant.
Even though I obviously (see
what I did there?) didn’t pay attention this month, I did read. A lot. Which I
am quite proud of if I do say so myself, considering the fact that I’m actually
writing this fool blog again, working full time, and finishing up some
freelance projects (! more to come !). And so, for your cultural enjoyment, my
favorite reads of the month of July. Now to figure out a way to put August on a
leash to get him to slow down a little…
1. Flappers & Philosophers, F. Scott Fitzgerald I am a
big believer in re-reading. If you find a book that truly speaks to you, makes
you think, elicits genuine belly laughs, gives you that warm satisfaction in
the pit of your stomach…why wouldn’t you
read it again? This is one of those books. Whenever I got homesick in
Washington I wandered bookstores (they’re my homes away from home) and my good
friend F. Scott brought me right back to Chicago again with these wonderful
short stories. I love them. He is just too good.
2. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,
Robin Sloan This book was
awesome. It was equal parts conspiracy theory, supreme nerd heaven, romance,
and hacker mystery. Sounds like a mess, but such
a loveable mess. When you throw a protagonist team of a Google developer,
an unemployed softie, and an entrepreneur that designs the *ahem* more…delicate
parts of video game heroines, and throw them in a bookstore filled to the brim
with codes and run by a quirky old man, you could have a disaster on your
hands. But it worked. Any author that
could get me cheering for such a stone-cold pack of weirdos is a master.
3. The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara I had to read this in D.C. for the nerd convention,
and boy, never realized in 8th grade when I was required to read it
just how incredible this book is.
Shaara is an artist. This book is such a historical masterpiece. I’ll never
think of the Civil War the same way.
4. The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis I got into more religious debates in Washington than
I ever have in the rest of my life put together. Good ole Clive Staples saved
my butt and gave me the logical answers I needed to explain to a bunch of Ivy
League nihilists why my beliefs are not only valid…they’re logical. Got me
fired up about the power of the gospel all over again.
5. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn I read this at the beginning of the summer and loved it. But I read it in one night,
and I think I missed something, because it was entirely different and 100
million percent better the second time. What a chiller. That lady? Psycho.
Freak. And I love every second of it (slash they are making a movie! LETSGO)
6. The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson Just in case you think I love every book I read
(that’s not actually too far off, now that I think about it…), think again.
Didn’t love this one. Too weird, trying way too hard, no likeable characters,
abysmal plot line, absolutely no redemption from the psychotic mess at the end…ugh.
How did this book win best book of the year. How.
Well, July, it’s been real.
Bring on the next adventure.
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