Oh, we're halfway there

I've reached the halfway point in this year's Science Fiction-Free September.

As of now, I've read three of the six books on the list and two-thirds of the fourth. By some rather crude reckoning, with half the month gone, I'm roughly 63% of the way through all my planned reading. After blazing through the first three books in a week, I've slowed down somewhat, but I'm still on track to finish the whole list—which will actually be a first in 20 years.

The best book, so far, was To Kill a Mockingbird. I found it quite engaging and heartwarming, and I guess I'm somewhat disappointed I never got around to it sooner. Joyland wasn't half bad, either.

My least favourite book has been Revolutionary Road, which I have already reviewed. It's not a bad book, just one filled with unpleasant people and things.

As I said, I'm about two-thirds of the way through Riders of the Purple Sage. It's all right; I just don't find myself connecting with the story quite as much as with the previous books this month.

Still on deck are The House of Mirth and An Artist of the Floating World. I have read Edith Wharton previously—I studied The End of Innocence in my American literature course back in 1996, and I think it was probably my favourite of the works on the syllabus. And I would still cite The Remains of the Day as my favourite novel, so I regret not reading any of Kazuo Ishiguro's other novels until this year (I started off January with A Pale View of Hills). So I have high hopes for both books.

And, if I do run out of books before running out of month, I've got an extra or two planned. We'll see.

I owe you at least 500 more words by way of review. I think I can pull off a lightning review of Joyland this weekend, probably once I've got Riders of the Purple Sage squared away. I'm still mulling over TKAM, though.

I hope your September is also going well, and you've got something worthy on your nightstand.