Summer Reading Wind-Up

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ~Dr. Seuss

I've been reading in a fast and furious way this summer, attempting to make up for lost time.  In May, Lindsay and I realized the only books we'd read since the babies came along have been the Twilight Saga and the What To Expect series.  Great reads, no doubt, but there comes a point where it's time to move on.  So we made lists of all the books we'd like to read in our lifetime and dove in head first. 

We had lofty aspirations about becoming well-versed in great works of literature.  And the first thing I read was... The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer :).  Hey!--so it's not Steinbeck or Tolstoy or Bronte, but I'd been waiting all year for that book to come out and it was very enjoyable.  My next attempt was Beloved by Toni Morrison.  I gave up.  I'm not even sorry.  When reading ceases to be fun, I cease to read, and Beloved was not fun.  (I think perhaps Lindsay gave up on some Virginia Woolf, but I'll let her elaborate on that another time.)  I wallowed in guilt for a couple days because I hate not finishing something I started, and then I moved on to more upbeat territory.  I loved Eat, Pray, Love.  I dog-eared half a dozen pages that I thought were brilliant.  Gilbert's search for divinity isn't for everyone and I know a lot of people have real strong feelings about it, but I connected with her writing style and related to a lot of her thoughts about food and relationships and religion.  So read it, don't read it; if you hated it don't leave me a note because we're probably on two totally different wavelengths.

Where did I leave off?  Bree Tanner, Liz Gilbert... ah yes.  Then came vacation.  I gobbled up Charlaine Harris's Dead Until Dark (first in the Sookie Stackhouse series) in three days and it was delicious--I have more words about this but none feel appropriate for a general audience.  Moved on to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  Started reading, fell asleep on a deck chair.  Started again, snoring on Deck 5 before dinner.  It's still sitting, unfinished, on a shelf in my living room.  People are crazy for these books right?  The back cover says it combines "murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue."  The financial intrigue part must be where Dragon Tattoo is losing me; I do not happen to find finances intriguing at all.

Somehow I made it all these years without reading a single Harry Potter book, and Doug and I love the movies.  So before vacation I read the first four, and after the trip I read the last three.  Awesome reads!  Totally engrossing!  But of course, I'm probably the only person in the world who didn't already know that, so I'll spare you the glowing review.  (This is a picture Doug took of me trying to finish book #7... he called it "The Master of MultiTasking.")

I finished Harris's Living Dead In Dallas (Sookie #2) in a day and a half when we got home from Bermuda.  I haven't bought the third yet because I need to focus on some fall cleaning and won't be able to get anything done if it's in the house.  I started My Life In France by Julia Child last week, although it's a bit late to call it 'summer reading'.  It's quite interesting so far and even more enjoyable because I can hear Meryl Streep in my head narrating the whole thing for me.  I also have a couple on hold at the library (Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel by Aimee Bender), and I borrowed The Glass Castle: A Memoir from my mother-in-law because so many people I know have been raving about it.

We hope to do some co-reviews eventually, book club style.  What did you read this summer that you loved?  Thanks for your input and ideas!