Summer Reading

I recently asked for book recommendations on Twitter. Here’s a list of what came through. Of course, who knows what literary taste each of these books reflects, but I’m enjoying the adventure of finding out. If you are looking for a summer read, one of these might suit your fancy -- but read at your own risk. I don’t know anything about these books.

• 19 Minutes by Jody Picoult (several people recommended this, but warned that it’s “heavy”)
• Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
• The Birth House by Sideshow Ami
• Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Becton (“if you like Jane Austen”)
• Christmas Jars
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (“anything” by him)
• The Giving Tree (ha! a kid's book)
• The Great Night by Chris Adrian
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• Mistress of the Art of Death (looks like this is a series)
• Modoc (this is about an elephant!?)
• The Red Tent (several people recommended this one)
• Remarkable Creatures
• Sarah’s Key
• The Tailor’s Daughter
• The Time Traveler’s Wife

And I’ll add Bossypants by Tina Fey to the list.  I’m curious to see what that one is about.  Has anyone read it?

Several of these titles were not available at the library yesterday with multiple holds placed on each of the copies -- a good sign.  The three I ended up taking home for Round 1 were:  Back When We Were Grownups, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Corrections (by Jonathan Franzen). 

Thanks to everyone who sent their picks.  I have to read at night to fall asleep, otherwise, my mind invents all sorts of excuses to stay up!  If you have a suggestion or two to add, please share it.  Maybe tell us a little about it.  Twitter does’t afford space for much explanation, does it?  Here you can cast more than 140 characters in the role.

Comments

[Jenstewartpainter]

Oh! You have to read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon...fantastic books! Outlander is the first. I also just read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and loved that one too. Don't know if you have heard of Goodreads (www.goodreads.com). It's a really great site to catalog books you have read and just read reviews of other people. Happy reading!

[kat]

I'm sharing my favorite book of fairy tales with you- Eleanor Farjeon's A Little Bookroom. Charming and perfectly suitable for a 5 minute pick up and put down read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Bookroom

I think you would love the imagery in 'The Lady's Room,' (http://www.eldrbarry.net/rabb/farj/ladyroom.htm) after all, who wouldn't want a carpet like moss in the woods or a carpet like rose petals? Please do let me know if you get this storybook how you liked it!

[Alexis]

I have a few books I've passed on to friends with success.

Apologize Apologize is about a dysfunctional, wealthy family from Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. It's a first time novel and very cleverly written. It's compared to Catcher in the Rye. Many twists in the plot. You really ponder your own human nature and just what you will withstand.

Then there is Chris Cleave Little Bee which is fantastic and is about a refugee that escapes and makes a difference in a family's life at a very tragic time.

Of coarse all of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Series - Fantastic!

Still Alice is a book about a Harvard Professor who has early onset Alzheimer Disease. The story takes you through her struggle and how she still tries to cope while the disease progresses. It is an amazing book and a big help if you know anyone who may be affected with the disease.

I have many more, these are just more dramatic so they register at the front of my memory.

[mindy]

i just finished the hunger games series and LOVED it! i couldn't put it down. i also love time traveler's wife. it was such a sweet story, but she's a little crass. just a heads up. i also read the undaunted, the story of the hole in the rock pioneers and couldn't seem to put that one down either..

[shannon]

I second "The History Of Love" by Nicole Krauss. My All time FAVORITE book, so moving and so satisfying, it is everything a good novel should be.

[Emily]

Thanks for opening up this discussion! You've gotten such a great response. I'm excited to read a lot of these suggestions! I'd read the Help first. It's the best book I've read in a long time.

A few suggestions not mentioned yet: Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons (good if you like the Help or Secret Life of Bees, with strong Southern women); Listening is an Act of Love by Dave Isay (a collection of interviews from 9/11 survivors, cancer patients, average Joes, etc.-- helps you realize everyone has a story); Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (a young adult book and gorgeously written, a fast read); I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (a coming-of-age story; it took about 40 pages for me to get into it but then I couldn't put it down); Scarlet Pimpernel (if you're looking for a classic).

[Sharon Orella]

Bossy Pants is hilarious, my daughter and I actually read passages out loud to each other as we read it. My husband didn't always get the humor tho... If you like Tina Fey then this is a good book. . . If you don't like here, well then, I just don't know.

[Kathleen Scanlon-Desio]

I have read the Red Tent - it was excellent! I also recommend Water for Elephants - I could not put it down and read it in a day!!! I am currently reading The Weird Sisters which I am thoroughly enjoying :-)

Kathleen Scanlon-Desio
http://longislandchick.com

[Sumo]

Love to get new book recommendations!

I just finished reading Pope Joan. It's a controversial piece of history (or maybe not according to some people) of a woman who plays a man to end up as Pope. It was fantastic.

I've also heard ROOM is really good. The Help is fabulous, as is Sarah's Key (like others said, so sad).

These Is My Words is good if you don't mind reading in a journal format. I didn't care for it at first, but ended up loving it. One Thousand White Women is the same format, and also very good.

The Outlander series are some of my favorite books of all time! There are seven or eight of them; I couldn't put them down!

Happy Reading!

[ajira]

Wonderful selection. Definitely need to add this to my GoodReads, Shelfari and LibraryThing lists! LOL. Do you use any of those? Great way to keep track of what you want to read and what you've already read. I used to just keep a notebook but that got old fast! Wish one they were integrated with booksellers and libraries though! That would be awesome! (that went random, eh?)

[Dannielle]

I LOVE to read!!! I am actually reading 19 Minutes by Jody Picoult right now. I have read The Giving Tree and saw the movie The Time Traveler’s Wife. In the picture you have posted, I've read all of those. :-)