Summertime = reading on the porch, reading on the beach, listening to books on tape on long car rides (can’t read- get carsick), and reading at the park while I absentmindedly glance over to make sure no one has run off with one of my most adorable children.
I take summer reading very seriously, which is why around May, I start devising a kick-ass summer reading list. Sometimes, I think devising the list is more fun than the actual reading. I hoard books I can’t wait to read and save them for these few months of sunshine and relaxation. Here are five I am looking forward to:
1) The book that everyone’s reading: Admission by Jean Hanff Horelitz. I am drawn to books about college or boarding-school life. Past summer reading picks have included I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, The River King by Alice Hoffman, and Joe College by Tom Perotta. Admission follows an ivy-league university’s admissions officer as she… well, I’m not sure yet as I haven’t read it. One promo states that it explores “dark secrets behind ivy-leagued walls.” I love dark secrets! It’s why I occasionally still tune in to All My Children.
3) The obligatory history book: Egg on Mao: The Story of an Ordinary Man Who Defaced an Icon and Unmasked a Dictatorship. I think the sub-title sums it up pretty well.
3) The classic: I am still slogging my way through The Bible. I am stuck in the books of the law, which are tedious, and I’ve been distracted as of late. Currently I’m reading through Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which coincidentally, also features a young, Jewish protagonist.
4) The book by the Oprah author I still adore: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I have no idea what this book is about. It’s Barbara Kingsolver’s first in nine years, however, so I’m expecting that I’ll enjoy it.
5) The book I started but never finished: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Even my husband read this. I’m totally going to finish it this time. Really. I am.
Obviously, I have a penchant for literary fiction, history, and memoir. You may not. What are your summer reading picks? Any recommendations?
Fun links:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127161637 (NPR. Because they KNOW all.)
http://www.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2009/100-notable-books-of-2009- gift-guide/list.html (Best books of LAST year.)
http://www.listsofbests.com/list/11632-101-best-books-ever-written (Entertaining link. Looking for the best books filled with debauchery ever written? Best book rebels? Etc.? Fun stuff.)
