Well, the Book Project is officially a half-year old, which is cause for celebration, I think. I tell you what, I didn’t realize the scope of insanity that embarking on the Book Project really entailed when I offhandedly talked about it with a friend in December. It really is hard to write about every single book I read in a year, since sometimes I just don’t have that much to say about books, and I read a fair amount of trash.

At any rate, in June I read 30 books, an average of one a day, and 11,441 pages, roughly 381 pages a day. I also read some pretty good books in June. New books that I read and liked included Skeletons at the Feast, The Mourner’s Dance, Lady Lazarus, The Cloud Atlas, and Invisible Monsters. I also enjoyed re-reading City of Quartz, and it’s safe to say that The Almost Moon was the worst book I read in June. I’m having a tough time deciding what my favourite book was, though, because I really did read some good books in June. I may have to go with Lady Lazarus, just because it was so rich and complex, and I am really glad that Vicki recommended it to me.

Of course, no half year review is complete without, you know, a half year review.

So far, I have read 176 books in 2008, and 59,249 pages. I read the most books in March, when I read 40 books, and 13,174 pages. January was the low point, with 21 books and 6,261 pages. My favourite books this year have been The Sparrow, This is the Way the World Ends, Dracula, Everything Conceivable, Nation of Rebels, and Lady Lazarus. This is the Way the World Ends was, hands down, the best book I read this year. It’s just that awesome. And I am pleased to note that three of the books I loved this year were recommended by people, while two were re-reads, and one was a book that just caught my eye at the library one day. I think that’s a nice, diverse cross section.

One thing that the Book Project has done is introduce me to all sorts of books I would never have read, and I’m really grateful for that. I haven’t liked all of the books sent to me or recommended so far, but I’ve loved some of them, and I’m glad I had the chance to read them. It’s also been very interesting to track my reading habits, and to examine what I read, and when, and why.

If you want to recommend books for me to read, please add them to the comments on this (and any other) Book Project post. You can also email me (meloukhia at gmail dot com) if you’re feeling shy. I pledge to make an earnest attempt to read every single book which is recommended to me this year.

If you really want me to read something, you can send it to me:

s.h. smith

po box 2764

fort bragg, california, 95437

I am also happy to return books which people want to lend to me; if you lend me a book through the mail, include a note to let me know that you want it back when I’m done.