Oops, I Did It Again

Remember a few months ago when I wrote about not half-assing two things, instead choosing to focus on truly whole-assing one thing at a time? (It's a quote from Parks & Rec, and I've got it framed and hung on my office wall.)

Week in Reading: September 7

Bald Head Island, NC

Whew. I'm back from vacation with the family last week and am home for a few days before launching back off on adventures with my husband later this week. Despite high hopes for lots of reading while traveling, I didn't finish nearly as many books as I'd hoped to, so some of this week's stack looks suspiciously like last week's:

I'm still eying the Murakami book on running (after enjoying My Year of Running Dangerously last week and not-so-enjoying a very, very hilly long run this weekend), and of course the Atwood will remain on deck until I manage to start (and finish!) it. After finishing up The Book of Unknown Americans on audio last week, I'm starting The Jaguar's Children on audio (both are upcoming picks for the Curious Iguana Latin American Voices book club series). And after seeing Rebecca of Book Riot rave about Sorcerer to the Crown on Twitter and in this Book Riot round-up of best books, it moved straight up on my list. I've been craving a big epic fantasy novel of late and hope this fits the bill.

One of these days I really will start to explore all those backlist books on my shelves, too...

What's everyone else up to this week? Reading anything good?

Book Review: Barbara the Slut and Other People: Stories, by Lauren Holmes

This review originally ran in Shelf Awareness for Readers.

Lauren Holmes's debut collection, Barbara the Slut and Other People, explores a range of human connections. In the title story, a high school student with a rule about not sleeping with the same guy more than once finds the word "slut" spray-painted on her locker and revels in its hot pink color. In "Desert Hearts," a recent law school graduate pretends to be a lesbian to get a job in a sex toy store and contemplates having a baby to feel less alone. In "Pearl and the Swiss Guy Fall in Love," a young woman brings home a tourist, looking for a little action, and finds herself with a house guest who's overstayed his welcome--and fallen in love with her man-hating dog in the meantime.

Looking Back: An August of Reading

Summer has slipped away to somewhere else, and here we are facing down fall: season of crock pots and boots and cardigans and apple cider and really big buzzy books, oh my. But before we wave goodbye to August, a quick recap of some of the best books I read this month: