Summer + Reading. Two things I love, that are so much better together. Summer seems to be both busier, and yet lazier. A perfect time to do more reading, but, for me at least, reading that is a bit looser and breezy; books that I can fall into, but not have to think so much. I give myself a break and just read for fun. I try to keep a list of books I want to read. Here’s a few on my list:
In The Unlikely Event (Judy Blume)
The Sunlit Night- Rebecca Dinerstein
Among the Ten Thousand Things (Julia Pierpont)
Circling The Sun- Paula McClain
Barbara the Slut and Other People (Lauren Holmes)
Woman With a Secret (Sophie Hannah)
China Rich Girlfriend (Kevin Kwan)
How To Start a Fire (Lisa Lutz)
A Window Opens (Elisabeth Egan)
I am also planning to dive into Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes and his new one. Finders Keepers. I love some Stephen King creepiness on hot summer days. And catch up on some releases from the past year: Euphoria by Lily King, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
How about classics? I always try to revisit a classic. Thinking of either To Kill a Mockingbird, which feels timely given the release of Harper Lee’s new novel, Go Set A Watchman. Or perhaps East of Eden, which I’ve never read.
And a few recommendations of books I read over the past year and loved:
California (Edan Lepucki) – This is a crazy novel, in the best way. Set in California after a civilization break-down, a young married couple (Cal and Frida) escape to live in the wilderness. They live alone for awhile, until they discover a secret community that changes everything. It is a novel that makes you think, yet is still a page-turner. The most fascinating aspect to me was how the viewpoints of the main characters change so many different times over the course of the book. Warning: I recommended it for my mother’s book club and every woman complained so much after the first chapter that they had to pick a new book. Not for everyone.
Happiness For Beginners (Katherine Center) Easy, breezy novel that I read in a day. The type of book where you love living with the characters. Fun and happy.
2 a.m. at the Cat’s Pajamas (Marie-Helene Bertino) – This book is awesome. Quirky, funny, heart-felt, and sprinkled with some truly beautiful sentences. I want to follow the young heroine, Madeleine Altimari, around forever.
Night Film– Marisha Pessl – Another crazy film. Dark and disturbed. I have no idea how this writer came up with such an insane world. The ending is straight out of a bizarre movie that you re-watch and re-watch and have a different opinion after each viewing.
Life Drawing– Robin Black – I will read anything Robin Black writes. Her collection of short stories, If I Loved You I Would Tell You This, is one of my all-time favorites. This is her first novel, and it doesn’t disappoint. She packs so much action and emotion into every page, and so much happens in this relatively short novel. I loved it.
What’s on your list?
Happy Reading!
xo, A.
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