Summer Reading: 2011

June.
After what seemed like an endless winter-- blizzard in April, snow in May-- the sun started shining, the days have grown longer, and despite the gray skies and temperatures in the 50's this weekend, warmth has finally reached Wisconsin. Watching the water shimmering on our quaint "lake" (I think of it more as a pond) inspires me to reassess our library along with recommendations from friends and create my annual summer reading list. Though I begin a new job June 20th that will keep me fairly occupied, here is my list to share with all of you.

Feel free to contribute your own thoughts on the books or add to the list-- I'd love to know what you're reading!

Currently I'm reading The Emerald Atlas and The Cookbook Collector.

This is #5 in the Sookie Stackhouse series and what better book to read during the summer than a sexy supernatural romantic thriller. So excited.

First: I've seen the film. Second: I saw the interview on Oprah with Elizabeth Gilbert. Thus, I have an expectation that Eat Pray Love (the book) will read more like a travel journal than a narrative story with plots, subplots, and well-formed characters. Hopefully I'll learn something and be INSPIRED.

I love the Mitford Series-- if you're looking for a great character driven story set in a small mountain town I HIGHLY recommend the books <3--  and this is, to put it in TV terms, the spin-off series from Mitford, following the lovable Episcopalian preacher Father Tim and his free spirit wife Cynthia to Ireland. The first book is Home to Holly Springs and worth a read before continuing with this one. Can't wait!

The Complete Works of John Donne. What can I say, his poetry is beautiful.

 

Love and Friendship and Lady Susan are early works by Jane Austen and although I'm an uber Austenite, I must confess I haven't read these.  Not for long...

Ever read the super popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan? No?!  Stop reading this and go get the books! This is the first book in the second Greek mythology demigod series by Riordan-- should be a blast for summer. Oh, and you really should read Percy Jackson before stepping into The Lost Hero.

Got this as a birthday present a few years ago and I'm FINALLY going to read it. I promise.  Never read an Oprah club book before and I have no idea what this is about... so yeah, I haven't seen the film either. I'm so bad.

Usually Jane Austen fan fiction follows an Austen romance plot and is a light read. A murder plot should be interesting.  Ooooo suspense!

The reason I want to read this novel is because I fell in love with the Masterpiece Theater Miniseries (if you have Netflix it's on Instant Play). It took me a long time to watch the film because I thought it'd be really depressing BUT turns out there's a great love story intertwined in the complex story. Score.

This was recommended by a classmate because I loved North and South. Also it was free on the Kindle. Sadly the Masterpiece Theater miniseries is NOT on instant.  I'm going to send an email about that...

I've heard good things about this and the movie comes out in August. Must... feed... curiosity.

I bought the first 2 books in this trilogy 3 years ago and it's high time I read one of them.  That's all.

And if I have extra time...

A Wrinkle in Time (series?)

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Jane Eyre

Cranford

The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe

Usually my summer reading list is unrealistically long-- and it was after my first draft of this blog-- so I'm hoping I will actually get through all of the books listed.