July in Review, Projections for August

July was as good as June was and I read all the books I proposed to read. Four books were completed and I'm on the fifth. Including the current read, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, I read a total of 1,291 pages with an average of 42 pages per day. The following books were read:
  1. The Book Thief by Zusak Markus. This book can scarcely be described as a Young Adult book though the protagonist is a young girl. The book was narrated by Death and was written in a very novel way that imitates no one. If you should read one fiction, perhaps it should be this one.
  2. Diplomatic Pounds and Other Stories by Ama Ata Aidoo. Forget my dilemma, but if you should read only one anthology this year, read this. In this collection of twelve (12) short stories, Ama Ata Aidoo entrenches herself as a foremost writer in Africa and beyond. Her sense of style, voice and subject was superior. This story has been reviewed for a magazine.
  3. Cut off My Tongue by Sitawa Namwalie. I saw Sitawa perform her poems flawlessly in Uganda. The themes of this collection ranges from the stupidity of tribalism and ethnicism which politicians entrenches to love and identity. A bold presentation of worrying subjects.
  4. If I'm So Successful why do I feel Like a Fake - The Imposter Phenomenon by Joan C. Harvey with Cynthia Katz. This book deals with the psychological problem which most successful people face. These individuals, though successful, feel that their success could be attributed to other things but their ability. They see themselves not deserving what they have or what they have achieved and begin to wonder if they will be exposed in their next job. The IP could be seen in both work and personal life.
  5. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. This is the second Austen book I'm reading, though I am not enjoying it as much as I did Pride and Prejudice. 
The classification of books read are: novel (2); short story anthology (1); poetry anthology (1); non-fiction (1). 

Projections for August
I hope to read about six books to still keep on track with the 70 books target for 2012. I expect to read the following books:
  1. Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks. A James-Bond novel that has been on my shelf since October 2010. It really has to move from the not-read section to the read section.
  2. Journey by G.A. Agambila. I started this book some time ago and dropped it without any reason. I hope to pick it up again.
  3. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. This book has also been on my shelf since September 2011.
  4. A Month and a Day & Letters by Ken Saro Wiwa. This book will be read for the Ayebia Challenge.

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