What's On Your Summer Reading List?

I find television to be very educating.  Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.  

Groucho Marx

I know, I know. It is now July and I'm finally posting  my summer reading list. Goes right along with my total laxness in the blogging world at present. 

Not to say I haven't been productive. I am working on my novel again. And the toilets in my house are clean. So rare to have both of those things run concurrently. 

I have been reading, too, although not as quickly as normal. Here is my stack for the summer. 

The Greater Journey - David McCullough

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies) - Laurie Notaro (More than a giggle and chuckle. Hawhawing from the dock.)

The Tiger's Wife - A Novel - Tea Obreht

Final Payments - Mary Gordon

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents - Julia Alvarez

Suite Francaise - Irene Neverosky

When Everything Changed - The Amazing Journey of American Women 1960 to Present - Gail Collins (a must read for all young women, young men, old men, everyone!)

Close Range - Annie Proulx

Clair de Lune - Jetta Carleton (From rediscovered author of The Moonflower Vine)

Beloved - Toni Morrison (I know - been on my list every summer. Maybe this summer?)

The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver (I loved this one.) 
As Texas Goes...: How the Lonestar State Hijacked the American Agenda - Gail Collins
Below Stairs - Margaret Powell

And from some of my great blogging and writer friends:

Stick a Fork in It - Robin Allen (Out now) PLUS you can get Robin's first book in this culinary adventure spree If You Can't Stand the Heat for FREE on your Kindle right now.

Whipped, Not Beaten - Melissa Westemeier (AKA Green Girl in Wisconsin - mother of three sons so obviously a kindred spirit.)

Being Miss (Blogging friend from England and this book is so well done.)

The Eight Fingered Criminal's Son - William Snyder (Blogging friend) 1600 sold copies needed for a book deal. You can get it now for $3.95 on Kindle.

And for those of you with kids or grandkids, I'm toting this one by my WriterGrrl friend Bernadette Noll Make Stuff Together: 24 Projects to Create as a Family 




Now, as many of you know from your past experience here at this blog, I end up altering my list all summer as I trade books at book club, wander through the library, or just happen to go past that book table at Costco. So it goes in the world of reading.

But, SHARE! What's on your summer reading list?


P.S. Can anyone tell me how to center my header on my blog page?

 

A Hammock WIth a View

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.

Sam Keen

In an effort to rest an ailing foot, I've spent the last week lying in my hammock. To hell with exercise. Maybe not forever, but for this last week at least. After a visit to the library and checking out 10 books, I plopped my hiney into the recesses of my hammock. Happy to say I no longer limp. Progress. I'm ready to test it at the YMCA - maybe tomorrow.

I've wavered from my original summer reading list once again, and have a few thoughts on my reads. A friend had given me several mysteries - something I don't normally read. I think I will still not normally read them.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larsson
These words from Page 577 summed it up quite nicely. "Berger thought that the book was the best thing Blomkvist had ever written. It was uneven stylistically, and in places the writing was actually quite poor—there had been no time for any fine polishing—but the book was animated by a fury that no read could help but notice."

Editor, Editor where art thou? Translated from Swedish, I'm sorry this author did not live long enough to have the opportunity to fine tune his books. Also, may just be me, but I didn't care for the torture of women. I did enjoy the setting in Sweden and I now know why my Swedish mother likes liver, pickled herring, and dill pickles.They are staples in the Swedish diet.

The Galton Case - Ross McDonald
”They sat like a very old couple waiting for the afternoon shadows to lengthen and merge into the night.”
One of the best 100 mysteries, this story line seems to reign among many in the genre. Macho, gruff, tough retired cop, now a private eye, is hired to search for a long-lost relative standing to inherit a mint. The writing was good, but the storyline fit together with just a tad too much coincidence for my taste. Written in 1959, the depiction of women didn't work for me. I'm so thankful for Betty Friedan.

The Talented Mr. Ripley – Patricia Highsmith - Recommend
This one I liked. Set in Italy, the conniving Mr. Ripley appears an innocent, yet is truly a chilling and dangerous man. Written in 1955, I found the writing compelling and the storyline complete. No dangling unanswered questions or puzzle pieces that appear out of nowhere. I hear it is a movie. Can’t wait to see it.

Siddhartha - Herman Hesse - Recommend
Translated from German, this book hasn't withstood the test of time for no reason. A pleasant surprise and a journey of the spirit. "Quiet beauty" indeed.

We Are All Welcome Here – Elizabeth Berg
Always a simple joy to read Berg’s work. Universal truths. Well put together. Quick read. Sweet ending. This journey travels through the eyes and heart of a young girl living with the reality of a disabled mother. Setting – 1964 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Civil rights movement in full swing but on the outside of innocent, yet capable mind of 14-year-old Diana.

“Oftentimes on summer evenings, I would sit outside with my mother and look at the constellations. We lived in a small town, far away from city lights, and our skies were inky black and so thick with stars it felt as though somebody ought to stir them.”

Summer of Roses - Luanne Rice
I picked this one up from the library shelf because of the picture on the cover – roses and the seaside. Should have left it on the shelf. If you want an easy, super sweet read that doesn’t pursue the drama it brings into the picture, this is a mindless summer read for you. I bypassed many pages. Did enjoy the setting in Narragansett Bay.

Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evonovich
Always a fun romp to run with Stephanie Plum, although I still think Seven Up was the best one.

Reading on, reading on.