Summer Reading List

Lots of reading to do this summer! Not that season really makes much of a difference in my personal reading world... But neither here nor there! Lists are fun.

We're reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde for July's book club... After we voted on that selection, I've got to be honest here, Internet, I wasn't excited. It felt like homework reading to me. Buuuut I read a promising wikipedia synopsis and I do like Oscar Wilde (or at least The Importance of Being Earnest) so I'm going to give it the good old college try! I'll let you know how it goes. Unless it goes poorly. In which case, I will say no more.

Currently, I am enjoying a book my boss loaned me –

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

It's really different from any book I've ever read. You think it's fluffy chick lit from the cover, don't you? Well, the plot is a little fluffy – a Mormon Utah housewife writes a screenplay and becomes best friends with a Hollywood star. Handsome, think George Clooney-type. (Although for me, I think of him more as that guy from The Mentalist. Which I've never watched. But whatevs.) – but it's so much more than fluff ! The friendship that grows is really natural and funny. And while it's pretty wild, these things must happen, right? Oh, wait. No. They don't. At any rate, it's been a fun ride and I can't imagine what's going to happen next. So far, SO good.

During last year's book club, Lady B made the delicious decision of putting The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo up for reading consideration. It was chosen. And an obsession was formed. And the rest of the world knows our love. I can't WAIT for the conclusion –

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Apparently, it roars with an explosive storyline that blows the doors off the series and announces that the very best has been saved for last. Can't. WAIT.

After that, I'm joining one of my fellow book clubbers, Miss A, in reading. An English teacher during the non-summer months, she'll be teaching this one this year –

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

I hear it's really depressing. Like, really, really depressing. But that don't scare me none. (Not sure why I went all bad grammar there.) Because in the darkest night, there is a light! Or, it's darkest before the dawn? Anyhoo, Amazon says that Angela's Ashes is a book so filled with remorse and sadness, it's amazing that the reader somehow finds themself completely and joyfully satisfied. Well, hey, I like being joyfully satisfied. So I'm down to give it a whirl.

And to top off the summer, I ordered a book I saw on Jen Lancaster's summer reading list –

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen

Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her injured. Needing a place to rest and pick up the pieces of her life, Rhoda packed her bags, crossed the country, and returned to her quirky Mennonite family's home, where she was welcomed back with open arms and offbeat advice.

Quirky Mennonites? Why, yes, Rhoda. I think I will. Plus, the name Rhoda has warm fuzzies for me.

She too can turn the world on with her smile

So that's what's on my bed stand, Internet! Hope that was a real "page turner" for you. Hope you had the "spine" to stick with me here to the end. Did you "read" between the lines there? Ok, I'm done. Later, Internet. Don't forget to watch for paper cuts!