The book tower beside my bed has taken on a precipitous lean this month as Netflix and an abundance of good TV series have occupied my leisure-time instead of reading. Times like this remind me that the great thing about paper books is they’re still there waiting to be read when the good TV has ended (and it does end).

I only read a handful of books from last month’s list. The Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction short-listed Outline by Rachel Cusk took me ages to finish and was somewhat underwhelming. Yes, I got the point of it by the end but geez, it was hard perservering through the tedium. Also, as soon as I found out Ali Smith had taken out the prize for her wonderful How To Be Both (which I’ve previously written about here), the other short-listed titles on the pile (The Bees, A God in Every Stone) were swiftly relocated to the Outbox.

Local author, Krissy Kneen’s new book The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine went to top of the reading list upon its release last month. Krissy may be the queen of literary erotic writing but this one is more of a light sex romp. I liked how she introduces some of the classics of erotic writing (James Salter, Anais Nin, Georges Bataille, Marquis de Sade, Erica Jong and more) through the adventure tale and she is undoubtedly a talented writer but this one just didn’t work for me.

Based on Krissy’s big-upping of James Salter’s A Sport and a Pastime as one of her favourite books of erotic writing (and it being on my TBR list since its glowing endorsement by the panelists of The First Tuesday Book Club a few years ago), I finally got round to reading it this month. The book has some lovely passages of prose but, again, sigh, I just don’t care about an American college dropout discovering sex (and life) in France in the sixties.

So it was zero out of three in the great reading adventure for May.

Here are the additions to my reading list for June …

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison – um, new Toni Morrison. That’s all that really needs to be said.

The Strays by Emily Bitto – the winner of the 2015 Stella Prize. It looks interesting but I have to admit, this is a Work Read (ie I wouldn’t be reading it if I didn’t work in a bookshop and have to occasionally read some of the prize winners …).

The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon by Tom Spanbauer – I love borrowing friend’s favourite books and this modern classic of queer lit comes highly recommended so I’m looking forward to it …

Venus With Biceps: A pictorial history of muscular women by David Chapman and Patricia Vertinisky – I copped so much flack for ordering this one at work but, seriously, everyone needs a book of photos of women with extraordinary musculature … 😉

Night School: The life-changing science of sleep by Richard Wiseman – I really liked Wiseman’s previous book 59 Seconds and, as an insomnia-aficionado, I’m looking forward to having my life changed by this book …

How We Learn by Benedict Carey – when I saw this self-help book on learning, I realised I hadn’t touched base with learning theory in a very long time so this one is work/project related. But seeing as life is learning then I’m sure I’ll glean some gems to help me retain the information I need to get on with life – rather than the trivia my brain seems to prefer holding on to …

Hip: The History by John Leland – I recently came across a university course on, um, swag (or the culture of cool) (I shit you not, here it is). This was the set text.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll – another Work Read in It’s-the-next-Gone-Girl! Category. Oh, and sometimes I just need to read something mindless. This one seems to have divided folks on Goodreads so I’m curious to give it a 50-page test …

Hopscotch by Jane Messer – I don’t get to read enough novels about contemporary Australian life so am curious about this one (although it is set in pre-GFC 2008). I also meant to read it before going to Sydney as the city features prominently. Oops.

Being Taoist: Wisdom for Living a Balanced Life Edited and translated by Eva Wong – the latest of Wong’s many Taoism-related books. I love Taoism and have not read any of her (many) books so am curious to see how she presents it. Also, I’m trying to work out if Eva-Wong-the-Taoist is the same as Eva-Wong-the-Top-Human-Ren-Coaching-president …

Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China Translated by Eva Wong – and another Taoist translation from Eva Wong.

The Village Effect: Why face-to-face contact matters by Susan Pinker – The more time I spend online and engaging with social media, the more I realise how important face-to-face contact is having a meaningful, happy and healthy life. Pinker takes on the subject from a social neuroscience perspective. I’m hoping it will provide me with some evidence to support my current “get off the internet” bent. I’ve also heard it’s a cracking read.

Zen Habits: Mastering the art of change by Leo Babauta – I’ve been reading Babauta’s Zen Habits blog for a few years and enjoy his simple and humble reflections on life and change. This is his latest, crowdfunded book and I have to say, I think it’s the most beautiful self-published book I’ve ever seen. Noice. I’ve dipped into it and it’s not a bad read either …

I’m currently reading Emily Nagoski’s book on the science of sex, Come as You Are, and so far it’s the best (yes, best) book I’ve ever read on women’s sexuality.

This month is looking up …

You can follow my reading adventures on Goodreads