June was definitely my quietest reading month this year, but one book is absolutely going to be on my list of 2012 Favourites. A good month!

Harper Collins, 2011

And I did *finally* read the first book in Holly Black’s Faerie trilogy (Tithe). I aimed to start the second right away, but  wanted to finish some other books first.

Including Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder (I have no good explanation for why such an exciting story took me so long to read).

And the second book in the Murdoch series by Maureen Jennings (because you know I’m obsessing about trying not to allow series to linger too long between visitations).

It’s a good feeling, isn’t it, getting to reading that you’ve been thinking about for weeks?

And an even better feeling? Finally getting around to that stack of magazines.

I had 64 magazines on my pile at the beginning of June and now there are 57.  But the problem is that many of them are bookish, so I’ve also added 87 books to my TBR list.

Does that mean I’m getting further behind by getting caught up?

And I did not get to some June reading that I had been taking serious aim at. I still have The Sleeping Beauty and The Tea Lords on my stack. I’m not giving up.

My Alice Munro Reading Project continues, with the last couple of stories in Who Do You Think You Are?, and in mid-July, I’ll start The Moons of Jupiter, one story a week, so that the story “Labour Day Dinner” falls on Labour Day Weekend (the first weekend in September).

Those are standalone stories, as is the next collection, The Progress of Love. If you have either of these on your shelves, or have been meaning to read some Munro, please feel free to join in. There is so much to discuss in a single story.

McClelland & Stewart, 2012

In the meantime, some other short stories: Elizabeth Crane’s — because I am about to read her debut novel – and Yasuko Thanh’s Floating Like the Dead.

But really? What I am mostly reading are the two long books that have been lingering on my stack for weeks, months even: Kristin Lavransdatter and A Game of Thrones.

What I’ve learned this year? I have no good reason for avoiding books that long. But I also have no good reason for choosing to read more than one concurrently.

It feels rude, to just keep starting and finishing so many other books, while expecting these two to wait at the bottom of the stack (because they’re bigger doncha know). So I fully expect to build bookish muscle during July as I lug these babies around with me, giving them their due.

And that will help me stick to reading from my own shelves too, which I managed for about half my reading in June and hope to keep an eye on in July, although there are some very tempting library loans stacked next to the bed right now. (Do you have any thrilling loans right now?)

So for July? More Kristin and Martin. And more Munro and Taylor. More Black. More magazines.

More series installments, including later books in Joe Hill’s Locke and Key and the second of Patrick Ness’ trilogy. And trying Hella Haasse.

And in the wider July-ness of the bookish world?

Well, of course Orange July. When I’m tired from the workout of finishing my chunksters over the next week, I’ll relax and make my reading list. I can’t decide between reading from my own shelves, or storming through a bunch of others on the 2012 longlist.

And Paris in July (which might remain a dream vacation for me this year, but you could still pack a bookish suitcase).

And Cheryl’s Summer in Discworld, which runs until August 31, so I might just make that yet. Terry Pratchett is probably on a shortlist of people who might make me forget about summer’s humidity.

How about you? What stands out about your Reading June? And what are you looking forward to in July?

What kind of booklists have you been making lately? What challenges and readalongs are tempting you?

Are you planning vacation reading? Or taking a vacation from reading?