Reading Roundup Wrapup: July 2025

Pick of the month: Late Star Trek by Adam Kotsko. I found this an interesting and very engaging analysis of a key period of Star Trek, despite some occasional limitations. Glad a TrekBBS thread alerted me to its existence and that I got it from the library.

All books read:

1. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
2. The Patchwork Bride of Oz by Gilbert M. Sprague, illustrated by Denis McFarling
3. Shadows of Self: A Mistborn Novel by Brandon Sanderson
4. Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Volume 2 by Edmond Hamilton, John Forte, et al.
5. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
6. The Pelican History of England: 8. England in the Nineteenth Century (1815-1914) by David Thomson
7. Doctor Who: Short Trips #20: Destination Prague edited by Steven Savile
8. Young Avengers Presents by Ed Brubaker, Brian Reed, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Paul Cornell, Kevin Grevioux, Matt Fraction, Paco Medina, Harvey Tolibao, Alina Urusov, Mark Brooks, Mitch Breitweiser, Alan Davis, et al.
9. Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era by Adam Kotsko
10. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Available Light by Dayton Ward
11. Victorians and the Prehistoric: Tracks to a Lost World by Michael Freeman
12. Life on the Bridge: linking my world to yours as an autistic therapist by Kaelynn Partlow
13. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Collateral Damage by David Mack
14. The Pelican History of England: 9. England in the Twentieth Century (1914-79) by David Thomson with Geoffrey Warner
15. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
16. JLA: Year One: The Deluxe Edition by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Barry Kitson, et al.

July is almost always a good month for me, and this year was no exception; in fact, it was my best month in over two years (I read seventeen books in June 2023). My annual family trip gives me more time to read (someone else plays with my kids), and I'm usually able to keep my momentum from Hugo reading going into items from my reading list.

All books acquired:

1. Long Gone, Come Home by Monica Chenault-Kilgore
2. The Eulogist by Terry Gamble
3. Five Novels: The Lathe of Heaven / The Eye of the Heron / The Beginning Place / Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand / Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
4. Batgirl: Year One: The Deluxe Edition by Scott Beatty & Chuck Dixon, Marcos Martin, and Alvaro Lopez
5. Crisis on Infinite Earths: Deluxe Edition by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, et al.
6. Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
7. Again, Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
8. The Last Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
9. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
10. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
11. JLA: Year One: The Deluxe Edition by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Barry Kitson, et al.
12. DC Finest: Justice Society of America: The Plunder of the Psycho-Pirate by Gardner Fox, Joe Gallagher, Stan Aschmeier, et al.
13. Star Trek Explorer: The Official Magazine Presents: The Short Story Collection edited by Jonathan Wilkins
14. Star Trek Explorer: The Official Magazine Presents: “Q and False” and Other Stories edited by Jonathan Wilkins
15. Star Trek Explorer: The Official Magazine Presents: “The Mission” and Other Stories edited by Jonathan Wilkins
16. Star Trek Explorer: The Official Magazine Presents: “A Year to the Day That I Saw Myself Die” and Other Stories edited by Jonathan Wilkins
17. Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Volume 5 by Curt Swan, George Klein et al.
18. Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Volume 8 by Jim Shooter et al.
19. The Pelican History of England: 9. England in the Twentieth Century (1914-79) by David Thomson with Geoffrey Warner
20. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Enigma Tales by Una McCormack

Wow! I got more books than usual for my birthday (usually I tend to get a lot for Christmas, but not my birthday): #1-3 from my sister, #4-5 and 7 from my mother, #6 and 8 from my wife, and #9-10 from my mother-in-law. On top of that, I had some books I bought at a deep discount months ago finally come in (#13-16), I completed my collection of Legion of Super-Heroes Archives on eBay (#17-18), and I had various other books I picked up as part of projects I'm already working through (#11, 19-20).

Currently reading:

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Enigma Tales by Una McCormack

Up next in my rotations:

1. Star Trek: Coda, Book I: Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman 
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 
4. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Books remaining on "To be read" list: 686 (up 13!)

My largest single-month increase since January 2018. So much for getting that number under control.