July Wrap-up (of Sorts...)

I thought it would be a good time to wrap up what I accomplished in the month of July and review my progress on my Summer Reading Goals and Projects.

First, my July reading. I read the following during July:

1. Daisy Miller by Henry James
2. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
5. Dubliners by James Joyce
6. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
7. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
8. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
9. The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
10. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
11. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

It was definitely a good reading month. My only whiny complaint is that I could have accomplished more had I actually read during my vacation. But really, I can't complain. I managed to read in July what I read in May and June combined. And there are some heavy titles up there! Woo!

I am currently done with 105 books on my list (why yes, I am WAY behind in reviews, thanks for reminding me), and well on my way to hitting my goal of being at 120 by the end of August. I have 15ish books to go, so I pulled a large number of shorter titles and made a large pile on my nightstand. These include a lot of books in the 250-300 page range, as well as some plays. If I keep trucking, I think I might just hit that goal.

Another summer reading goal was to make some progress on my reading challenges. I wanted to read 5 titles for my TBR challenge hosted by Adam, and I have read 3. That is good progress!

I haven't picked up a Shakespeare play, but a couple are on my nightstand for future reading.

I would say that I am having a pretty darn good reading summer.

Some of my other goals included organization. Here is what I said I wanted to complete:

• Update book database by relogging in EVERY title I own
• Cull duplicates and books I no longer want. Either donate or ship to bloggers who want them
• Re-organize bookshelves in the living room. I have three-two big bookcases and one narrow case. Currently the narrow bookcase is home to some hardcover collections and newer YA titles. One big bookcase is full of classics, as well as two and a half shelves on the other. And, with recent acquisitions, some of the shelves are being double-stacked...that needs to be fixed.

The bookcases HAVE been reorganized, so at least one of the three is finished. I am having some issues relogging books. With my wacky schedule at work, my days off have been split. I have a Monday and then a Thursday off. I really need two days in a row to tackle relogging titles and culling since I have SO MANY books. I hope I can get to this by the end of the month. If not, it'll have to wait until the winter when my long-term position is over.

Anyway, I am making great progress. Matt commented the other night that I seem to be a little saner with my increased reading. I have to agree. I am a much happier person when I pick up a book in every spare moment rather than turning on the television. I hope I continue this habit even when I begin my new teaching gig in a few weeks.

The only thing hanging over my head is reviews. I am behind about 9 books. I am frustrated because I would really like to be reviewing AS I read, so you all see the reviews AS I am reading that books. This has been bothering me for months and I honestly don't know how I fell so far behind. I have notes and drafts on posts....so I may go a little a post heavy in the next week or two to catch up. That's the goal anyway. I would really like to return to being sane in my posting schedule.

Ah well, the plight of being a blogger I suppose.

So, question. :) Are there any titles I haven't picked up yet that I should get to in my last month of summer? You all made great suggestions on my last post, and I have tried to read some of those, but what should I REALLY get to? Let me know!