I didn’t read much towards the start of the month, but towards the end of the month I had a case of the blues, and then I got sick, so I suddenly read a lot.

Which was perfectly fine with me.

I read some really good books, and I read absolutely one abysmal book. We’re talking a book that had me ranting for days after I finished it.

The best books of the month were re-reads: A Fistful Of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman,  Rising Stars by J. Michael Straczynski, and the Jane Yellowrock series, by Faith Hunter . Plus one new read, the anthology Magic City: Recent Spells edited by Paula Guran which was very good.

Fantasy: Supernatural

A Fistful Of Sky (2002) Nina Kiriki Hoffman  (10/10)
Dirty Magic (2014) Jaye Wells (7/10)
Urban Shaman (2005) C.E. Murphy  (6.5/10)
Jane Yellowrock:
Skinwalker  (2009) Faith Hunter  (8/10)
Blood Cross  (2010) Faith Hunter  (8/10)
Mercy Blade  (2011) Faith Hunter  (7/10)
Raven Cursed  (2012) Faith Hunter (8/10)
Death’s Rival  (2012) Faith Hunter  (8/10)
Blood Trade  (2013) Faith Hunter  (8/10)

Fantasy: Anthology

Magic City: Recent Spells (2014) Paula Guran  (8.5/10)
Strange Brew  (2009) edited by P.N. Elrod (7/10)

Fantasy: Historical / Steampunk

Farthing  (2006) Jo Walton  (7/10)
Hounds of Autumn  (2013) Heather Blackwood  (2/10)

Comic / Graphic Novel

Rising Stars: Born in Fire, Power, Fire and Ash  (2001-2005) J. Michael Straczynski, Keu Cha, Ken Lashley et al  (10/10)
Hellboy:
Hellboy: The Midnight Circus  (2013) Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart (7/10)
Hellboy in Hell Volume 1: The Descent  (2014) Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart (7/10)
Local  (2008) Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly  (NR)

And now for my favorite part: THE NUMBERS!

I read 17 books this month, bringing the total so far this year to 105 books. I’m averaging 15 books a month, which is my highest average yet. But I’m sure that’ll drop down when cooler weather hits and I get outside more.

Because I had so many re-reads (8), I actually read more paper books than ebooks. The trade paperbacks were all comics, and I fully admit that I really prefer reading comics on paper. (The things that are supposed to increase your ereading pleasure with comics actually take me out of the story. But I’ll keep trying.)

Paperback: 6
Trade Paperback: 3
eBook: 8

I read mostly fantasy this month (with even the comics mostly in the fantasy genre).

Fantasy: 15
Mystery: 7
Romance: 2
YA: 1
Comic: 4
Anthology: 2

And I read very heavily of female authors this month.

Male: 2
Female: 11
Anthology: 4

Which brings the straight-up male:female ratio 1:1.

Male: 38%
Female: 38%
Joint + Anthology: 14%
Initials: 9%
Male Pseudonym: 2%

However, when you consider that the overwhelming majority of authors I read who are writing under initials are women, and a number of women writing under male pseudonyms, almost half the books I’ve read this year were written by women. Not too bad.