Return of the Reading Recap!

Remember how I used to read? And then post a monthly update of what I read? And then those recaps disappeared? Because I decided to tackle a classic earlier this year? And Victor Hugo's Les Miserables took me FOR-EVER to read?

I'm happy to announce, the monthly reading recap is back. Actually it could have returned at the end of June, but I forgot to post it, so I waited until July was done.

I finally finished reading Les Miserables on June 12, three days after my self-imposed deadline of June 9. It was a long book - it better be since it took me three months to read - but a good one. Although I could have done with less chunks of history. Yes, I know that section of the events leading up to the Battle of Waterloo helped the story, but it probably didn't have to be 75 pages. And the 50 or so pages on the convents? Could have been shorter. But the actual storyline was great. If you really want to tackle the massive 1,260 page book, I say go for it.

In addition to Les Miserables, I finished four other books in June and July. That brings my yearly total to 11 books (ouch) and 4,930 pages for the year. For comparison's sake, at the end of August 2010 I had finished 21 books for a total of 7,991 pages. Umm, considering my yearly goal is 40 books for the year, and I've only read 11, I better get going on the reading front. Any suggestions for quick, mindless reading?

So what have I finished since the last reading recap? Take a look:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Yes, I loved the Hunger Games trilogy. If you haven't read them yet, go find yourself a copy. I think I tore through the three books in 12 days total. So good. Right now I'm working on The Help. I'm about halfway through it and hope to finish it up this weekend before I head back to the working world.