Summer Reading Suggestions

If the list of what I'm reading this summer wasn't enough...here are some of my all time favorite summertime reads, from easy reads perfect for the beach, to ones that will suck you into their world, no matter whether you're in your backyard or on a long flight. Seriously, just writing this list is making me want to read all of these again.

Books about people at the beach to read while you're at the beach...

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

The Beach Club by Elin Hildebrand

If you're feeling nostalgic for summer camp...

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer 

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

Classics, that you probably skipped on your high school summer reading list but are totally worth it...

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

Perfect summer reads that are light and easy, but still very worthwhile...

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters

True stories that read like fiction, so you can feel like you learned something this summer...

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

First they Killed My Father by Loung Ung

Mystery/Thrillers to keep your attention even if there is a child kicking your seat on a plane...

The Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbrith (aka JK Rowling) 

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood 

For more suggestions, check out my "Summer Suggestions" list on Good Reads.

Jenny's Summer Reading

Most days, I'm more likely to spend my free time watching Netflix, than pick up a book, but there's something about reading in the summer that sucks me back in. I love making a  long list and checking things off of it. It reminds me of the summer reading program at my childhood library where each book you read equaled a sticker to put in a folder themed like a pirate treasure hunt. I couldn't beat most other kids in a spelling bee or at four square, but I could out read them all.

Here's what's on my list for this summer so far. I'm sure I'll add more as I've been known to hastily grab the book closest to the checkout as I'm buying a snack before a flight and of course I always love getting recommendations from friends (please post any recommendations in the comments!!!) . If you want to follow along as I add more and rate the books when I finish, you can see my list at Good Reads...

So far I've read...

All Over the Place by Geraldine DeRuiter...I've loved following Geraldine's travels and hilarious stories on her blog The Everywhereist and her book has the same great mix. 

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have the Answers to When You Work at the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco...I highly recommend this one! It's like Mindy Kaling goes to the White House...I appreciated the honesty and humor in this memoir and finished it wishing I could be friends with Alyssa, who worked on Obama's campaign and then served as his Deputy Chief of Staff. I might have learned a thing or two about politics as well. 

I'm finally planning on finishing a few great books I started awhile back...

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Also, I'm consciously trying to be more well rounded in my reading, typically I stick to fiction, but you'll see that the list above already includes memoirs and essays, yay for branching out! 

I'm also trying some poetry...

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

And some books to make me think about the world we're living in...

America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey by Margriet Ruurs, illustrated by  Nazir Ali Badr

And of course, some good fiction...

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

Great Kitchens of the Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls... I was recently having drinks with Teresa and another friend, they could not believe that I was such an avid reader as a child yet never managed to read this one! They insisted I add it to the list :)

Books on Tape

Do you listen to books on tape? I have been trying to watch less TV and one thing that I've been enjoying is Amazon Prime's new relationship with Audible. I'm listening to Pride and Prejudice, read by Rosamund Pike (who played Jane Bennet in the 2005 film adaptation), for free on Audible "Channels" -- a benefit of being a Prime Member.  Pike is a GREAT reader and does a wonderful job with different voices. I also saw that there is a version of Anne of Green Gables read by Rachel McAdams!

What audiobooks have you enjoyed? Would love to hear in the comments.

(Image)

Seattle Books

WAY back in August, I posted about what I like to read when I'm traveling. In that post I said I'd be back the following week with my favorite books about Seattle. Oops. It's been a little longer than a week. But here you go! Regardless of whether you live in Seattle or not, I'd recommend all of these reads.

A Homemade Life and Delancy 

Both memoirs sprinkled with recipes that will make you feel like you're catching up with a dear friend.

Where to read: Either in your own kitchen while you're wildly inspired to make all the recipes from the books OR at one of Molly and her husband's restaurants in Seattle (Delancy, Essex and Dino's Tomato Pie)

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 

This is historical fiction, based on the real lives of the Asian Americans living in what is now Seattle's International District during WWII. This book has it all, the sweetest story of young love and the bitter truth of racism driven by fear and how Japanese were mistreated during the war.

Where to read: The Panama Hotel, the actual hotel referenced in the title where many Japanese Americans left their possessions before being shipped off to interment camps during WWII. Sadly, many people never made it back to clam their things and you can actually peek through a window in the floor to see some of the things that were stored in the basement in the 1940's.

Seriously, even if you're reading another book, this is a great spot to sit with a book and a cup of tea.

The Boys in the Boat 

This is the true story of the University of Washington's crew team and the amazing path they took to make it all the way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, competing for America in front of Hitler. 

Where to read: UW's Suzzallo Library or in the spring, down in Montlake, where you can watch UW's crew team practice and tour the crew house which includes the historic shell the team used in 1936. 

Where'd You Go Bernadette 

This is a story of an eccentric Seattle transplant, fictional but it relies on observations of Seattle from the author, Maria Semple's real life experience moving here from LA. The result is a  hilarious take on Seattle culture, and I have to say, while it's one sided, it's pretty accurate. I know these people, I nannied for kids who went to schools very similar to Bernadette's daughter's, etc. 

Where to read: Well, if you want to be like Bernadette, don't leave your home, ever! Order in takeout and have a comfy chair delivered to read in. Or if you want to see the Seattle she's trying to escape, I'd suggest you plant yourself in a coffeeshop or restaurant in South Lake Union during the lunch rush and enjoy reading while being swarmed by Microsoft and Amazon employees. 

Anyone else have Seattle book recommendations? 

Image above, Seattle's Panama Hotel back in the day.

What I've Been Up To....

Fall is officially upon us! I went back to work September 1st and it's been a lot of transition for all of us but it's going great overall. I've been getting back into a routine and enjoying these little treats if you need a recommendation:

Reading... Liane Moriarty. How did it take me this long to catch on?? This is exactly what a sleep deprived mother needs. Also, they are making Big Little Lies into an HBO series with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon!

Watching... Easy on Netflix, check it out, lots of star power and good conversation starter.

Listening... The new Solange album (so good) and the new Bon Iver.

What do you read when you travel?

When I travel somewhere, I have a habit of reading a book that's set in that location. I think I got into this in college when I studied abroad in Cape Town. Our whole curriculum was based on reading about South Africa and it's history. It was crazy to me to step inside of Nelson Mandela's prison cell after reading his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom and to try and fathom what living there for decades would have been like. 

Since then, I've read:

Out of Africa while on safari in Kenya which helped me to better appreciate the beautiful landscapes I was traveling through.

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children while traveling in India, which made me think more about the people I was meeting and their stories. Photo above is me in India :)

First they Killed My Father in Cambodia,  a beautiful memoir, that gave me a greater understanding of the country's sad, fairly recent, history from a more personal perspective.

I'm not the only one who does this, Amy Schumer's been reading James Michener's Hawaii while shooting there. And that's exactly what I was reading on the long flight to Hawaii for work earlier this month!

Lest you think I only read books that you might find on a 10th grade summer reading list, I enjoyed a variety of Liane Moriaty books, mostly set in and around Sydney, while traveling in Australia. I'd suggest any of her books as a good vacation read, whether you're Down Under or not!

I did make one terrible mistake though. I attempted to read Déjà Dead while I was traveling by myself in Montreal last summer. It's about a serial killer who preys on women who are alone in Montreal.
Yep.
Great idea Jenny.
I spent my last day there convinced I was being followed and chose to order room service instead of venturing even as far as the hotel lobby for dinner. Photo above is me pretending to be scared, ironically, just before I sat down for a long lunch where I read and freaked myself out for real :)

PS. You don't have to travel to do this! No matter where you live, there's probably a book or two set there. My favorite Seattle books coming next week!

Summer Reading: Short Stories

My favorite summer pastime is laying on a beach/dock/boat/hammock and reading a good book for an afternoon. That's pretty much my goal for this upcoming weekend. Lately I've been into short stories, Alice Munro in particular.

A really good short story will fully captivate you, immediately suck you into the moment. Sometimes it takes a chapter (or seven) to fully get into a novel. Short stories don't have the luxury of extra pages, they either grab you right away, or they don't.

Here's a list of some of my favorite compilations...I'm including Amazon links so you can read descriptions and reviews and of course purchase online if that's your thing, but since these are all older, I bet you could easily pick these up at a used bookstore.

JD Salinger's Nine Stories and well, all of the rest of his short stories. My favorite from the collection is "For Esme -With Love and Squalor". Wes Anderson credits the Glass family, which appear in many of Salinger's stories, as part of the inspiration for The Royal Tenenbaums. 

Alice Munro's Dear Life I can't quite explain why I like Alice Munro as much as I do, it's like she writes what you know people are really thinking, the things that they're afraid to admit even to themselves and her characters are so very real in that way.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's Basil and Josephine Stories These were quite possibly the first short stories I ever read. WAY back in middle school. The 1920's have always fascinated me. This collection is also great in that it follows two characters as they grow up, so it also reads a bit like a novel.

Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies Lahiri is also one of Mindy Kaling's favorite authors and the namesake for Mindy Lahiri, on the Mindy Project, so you know she has to be good!



Also, you can give some stories a try w/o committing to a full book of them. Here are a few available for free from The New Yorker...perfect if you find yourself with your iPhone and a little free time.

Alice Munro's "Admudsen"

Zadie Smith's "The Embassy of Cambodia"

Haruki Murakami's "Town of Cats"

Lorrie Moore "Referential"

Cozy Reads for a Snow Day

As I'm on the east coast in a winter wonderland, I thought a post about books to curl up with would be applicable. I hope you're staying warm wherever you are. Here are a variety of things for you to curl up with under a quilt with a cup of tea.

The Interestings- If you liked A Visit from the Goon Squad, you'll like this one by Meg Wolitzer. It follows a group of friends who meet at summer camp from high school through adulthood.

Why Not Me?- Mindy Kaling's newest book. If you liked the last one, you'll like this one too!

The Thorn Birds- If you'r in need of a epic romance, this one, set in the Australian Outback, falls somewhere between Anne of Green Gables and Outlander (incidentally, two other books I'd recommend if you haven't read them yet). 

Room- You might know of the movie, for which Brie Larson is nominated for a best actress for her portraial of mother and son held captive for years in a single room. But before it was a movie, it was a book and a really gripping one at that.

What Alice Forgot- If you want to escape winter, tryout this book that takes place in sunny Sydney.

Anna Karenina- If you're REALLY looking for a bleak wintery classic, might I suggest this one. If you can get into Tolstoy's writing, this reads like a soap opera about the upper classes of Russia.

Marilyn reading image found here. 

Atticus Finch...

Are you going to read Harper Lee's To Set a Watchman? 

Like many fans of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird I've been up and down on this, wondering if Harper Lee wanted it to see the light of day, etc. But curiosity got the best of me and I preordered the book on Amazon, before anyone had read it, before the first chapter was available online and before any of the reviews had come out.

Then, in the last few days, I've been reading reviews. Here's what the NY Times had to say yesterday. And here's a great blog post about if from author Jennie Spor, which speaks on how authors don't want people to see their first drafts of things. It arrived on my doorstep first thing this morning and now, I'm not sure what to do!?! 

Summer Reading Recommendations from Jenny...

I spent the last few days in Vegas for my aunt's wedding. I've been enjoying laying by the pool reading and of course jumping in to cool off every so often in this 110 degree heat. Yikes!

I brought Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude  to read on this trip. Something I've been meaning to read since forever ago. While I was enjoying the beautiful prose on the surprisingly quiet flight down, I was reminded that classics don't always make the best vacation reads when trying to concentrate by the pool. It took me awhile to get into it, but about 100 pages in, I'm hooked.

In general,  for summer books, you need something that's going to hold your attention while the stranger on the lounger next to you tells their companion in excruciating detail about their peeling sunburn and kids run by dripping water on the pages. Something that's going to make you want to lay in one place a little longer, instead of feeling guilty about not checking your email or having your mind wander to what snack you could find.

So here's a list of books that passed the test and kept my attention while lounging on a lazy day at the beach, by a pool, or in my backyard...

If you're looking worthwhile chick-lit with a bit of a mystery to keep you hooked: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriaty

If you're a Harry Potter fan, check out this grown up Hogwarts:  The Magicians by Lev Grossman

If you enjoy getting sucked onto a different time with historical romances: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

If ever tried to do a book report on a Choose Your Own Adventure book: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

If you're wanting something to inspire you to eat healthy and enjoy nature: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbra Kingsolver

If you enjoy unlikely love stories with heart: One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

If you want to be inspired that it's never too late to find your passion: My Life in France by Julia Child

If you want to laugh so loud strangers star at you: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

If you like mysteries: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)

And if you're in the mood for a classic, I know it's long and daunting, but I devoured The Count of Monte Cristo on a beach in Hawaii, poor Jason had to go swimming by himself :)



What are you reading this summer? I'd love to hear! 

Read This: Judy Blume

Did you grow up reading Judy Blume?

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. were both childhood staples for me. But I loved all of her books, really.

I just finished her newest novel, In the Unlikely Event, it's written for adults, but still has that wonderful honest quality of her novels written for kids and young adults. I basically devoured it in under 48 hours. I forgot how much I love Judy Blume!

Honestly, it's sort of an odd summer read, the story is fiction, but it takes place around the real life plane crashes in Elizabeth, New Jersey during the winter of 1951-1952. Judy Blume, who grew up there and was 12 at the time of the crashes.  Regardless, I'd tell you to take it on vacation with you! I loved it and I'd recommend it to anyone who grew up on Judy Blume and all of her wonderful awkward characters who felt like friends in the "What? You too? I Thought I was the only one" sense of my C.S. Lewis quote from yesterday.  

Also, for a truly summery Judy Blume read, check out Summer Sisters when you finish this one.

A New Chapter

Confession: I have not read a single novel since Myles was born nearly six months ago. This is very unusual for me since I love fiction but I'm sad to say I've spent much more time watching TV and movies than reading. But now that I'm less sleep deprived, Myles is in a normal napping/sleeping pattern, and the winter dreary's have set in I've decided to start reading again! First book up is Gone Girl, I'm sure many of you have read it, about 10 people have recommended it to me. And I need to read it before the movie with Ben Affleck comes out!

Have any other recommendations for me? It needs to be a page turner so I can stay awake (just being honest!). 

PS. 16 books to read before the movies come out in 2014!


(Image above of Leslie Caron reading in her dressing room in 1951 during the filming of ‘The Man with a Cloak’ from this fabulous Tumblr: Awesome People Reading)

Summer Reading #2: Boarding Schools and Summer Camps

I've already put a pretty good dent into my summer reading list and managed to add a few more books along the way.

An interesting theme I seem to be stuck on currently: boarding schools and summer camps. Both were dreams as a child. The camp desire was definitely influenced by this music video, this TV show and of course, this movie. There was something thrilling about being away from your parents for that long, same with boarding school because of the seeming lack of adult supervision. Freedom. Not that I didn't love my parents :) 

Read: 

Prep

Winger

Looking for Alaska

Currently Reading:

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls: A Novel

To Read: 

Sleepaway-a collection of essays on camp from David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood and more. 

Any other good one's I've missed? I'm always looking for book recommendations!

Read Any Good Books Lately?

So you may have wondered exactly what I meant when I posted that one of my goals for 2013 is to read a really amazing book. You're probably thinking, how will she know if it's an amazing book or not if she hasn't read it? And that's exactly the point. I want to inspire myself read more with the goal being to stumble upon a new favorite, something I'll want to tell everyone I know that they MUST read it.

I used to be such an avid reader, and more recently I've found myself reading blogs and twitter feeds more and actual books less and less so the point of this goal is to make me fall in love with books again.

Thankfully it seems I'm not the only one on a mission for a good read for the new year. Here are a few booklists I've stumbled upon:

An Amazon editor's picks for 2013

2013 anticipated releases

Authors suggesting books by other authors (This one from the list caught my eye. Particularly the part about how it makes fun of Seattle!)

Finally, the ultimate "must read" list.

Have you read anything good lately?


(image of Audrey Hepburn)

Mischief Managed

How cute would these Harry Potter themed prints be in a home office, library or children's room. I think the Dumbledore quote is my favorite, how about you?

Mischief Managed 

Dumbledore Quote

Titles 

Up to no good

Hogwarts Express

Vacation Reads

What type of books do you like to read on vacation?
I always like to see what people bring with them, what sort of things they find relaxing and I am always looking for recommendations so I thought I'd do a little informal poll of what books everyone brought to the cabin with them.

In my hammock paparazzi shot, Patrick is reading The Art of Fielding. Teresa is listening to the audio book of Steven King's 11/22/63.

I've brought along The Sun Also Rises, which I was inspired to read after devouring The Paris Wife, a fictional account of Hemingway and his first wife Hadley's time in 1920's Paris with the rest of the Lost Generation.

Teresa's sister Laura is reading Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) which we both loved. Incase you missed it, we raved about this one here and here.

Teresa's mother-in-law is reading Skinny Bitch about becoming vegan and also Paris Noire, which she picked up after meeting the author on a recent flight.

Kasi and Ryan, baby Kenedee's parents, are reading Heat Wave (the hit TV show Castle is based on these books) and The Book of Basketball.

And last but certainly not least, three-month old Kenedee brought along The Curious Cat.

The Dangers of Kindle-Reading

So, I hesitate to broadcast this story because it makes me look ridiculous but alas, isn't that sort of the point of having a blog?

Yesterday I discovered the dangers of reading on a Kindle (vs. real books) when I turned on my Fire to continue reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I have been working my way through this massive book for the past couple of months and enjoying it’s Game of Thrones-style take on the building of a fictional 12^th century English cathedral. It’s one of those books where each part is told from a different person’s perspective and when I left off a couple of weeks ago it was at the beginning of a new part. I thought it was an appropriate place to pause my reading and pick it back up with the introduction of a brand new character at a later time. That later time turned out to be yesterday morning when I wanted to curl up with some leisurely Sunday reading and dive back into Pillars. As I started reading the new character I was introduced to was none other than Catherine Moreland, who seemed to be an average girl accompanying her wealthy neighbors on a trip to the English city of Bath. Some of you more astute readers may be catching on at this point…I did not.

I continued to leisurely read for an HOUR getting into the new story with a few lazy questions popping around in my head such as – when is everything going to go awry for our “heroine” (as is the trend in Pillars)? is time-travel a part of this book because this can’t possibly be the same period the rest of the book takes place in?  how is this story of a debutante innocent young woman going to fit back in with the priests and carpenters who are rebuilding a country cathedral??? And then, after 60 minutes (I kid you not)….I realize I have been reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin.

You have been warned! Make sure you are reading the correct book on your Kindle – especially if the majority of your reading consists of classic English novels and British historical fiction. ;)

PS. please see below images from the respective miniseries that illustrate my ridiculousness.

(images via & via)

Mindy Kaling and Diablo Cody

Have you read Mindy Kaling's book yet? Jenny gave it to me a while back and I'm laughing my way through it, definitely a good read if you need a smile. Check out the below interview of Mindy by the hilarious Diablo Cody (of "Juno" fame). Also, if you haven't seen "Young Adult" yet (Cody's latest) check it out on DVD, a great dark comedy and excellent acting from Charlize Theron.

PS. An excerpt from Mindy's book if you're interested. 

Read This: The Classics

When Jason and I were first dating, I was shocked to discover that he'd made it through high school without reading some of my favorite books. I gave him To Kill a Mockingbird one Christmas and I took the liberty of writing notes in the margins to be sure he wouldn't miss anything. All this to say, I love to read and I devour classics.

At the same time, I totally understand why people shy away from classic literature.  Some books just seem to drone on  with odd language and references to obscure things of bygone eras.  Here's a few that I think are great and would be enjoyed by most...

Read This: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

How could you NOT want to read a book that has this on the back of it?

Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns has been one of my favorite reads this winter. Have you read it yet? Here's a great excerpt about chick flicks that was published in The New Yorker. After reading the article, I immediately ran out and got the book, finishing it in 24 hours. Since then, I've been buying it as a gift and forcing my copy into the hands of unsuspecting house guests. Teresa, I can't believe you have escaped me for this long, take a break from Game of Thrones, you're borrowing my copy next. Anyone who enjoyed Tina Fey's Bossypants as much as you did will love this one too.

Kaling strikes a great balance between hilarity and honesty. I love people who don't take themselves too seriously.  Check out her website, where she blogs about everything from yoga pants to The Royal Tenenbaums. This is were I found the back cover photo (above) and her witty explanation as to why she chose to share it with the world.