back in the saddle again

The summer has been hectic for me. I've been busy and struggling to meet two big deadlines and haven't had a lot of time for leisurely reading. Because I've been overwhelmed I've also found myself losing patience with books more easily than usual.

I didn't manage to finish the book club book for either my normal book club or my online book club the past two months:

• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (July selection, regular book club) I liked, but I didn't start it early enough and couldn't rush through it to finish in time for the discussion. I haven't picked it up again
• One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell (August selection, regular book club) wasn't what I expected. I didn't like it at all. I couldn't relate to any of the characters. I gave up on the book because I never wanted to pick it up to read more.
• Wings of the Dove by Henry James (August selection, online book club) - I never got around to starting the book
• You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier (July selection, online book club) - ditto

I read about 160 pages of The Book of Shadows by James Reese (synopsis sounded good, but the actual story had far too much emphasis on sex). I also gave up on Tathea by Anne Perry (I found it boring).

I did manage to finish some books. I read Druids by Morgan Llywelyn and Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger. I loved the first two books in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, Hunger Games and Catching Fire (I'm saving the third book, Mockingjay as a birthday treat). I also read a number of romance novels by Susan Johnson. (I'm sure I've forgotten some others)

Additionally, according to Bookcrossing, I've wild-released 36 books in the past 4 weeks (see stats on my profile page).