Book Chatter

Can I just take a moment to tell you how much I LOVE list-making? Well, I LOVE it. It has taken me weeks to complete my summer reading list because summer is summer, and summer reads have to be awesome and well, the expectation is just too high for them not to be. Some of these books, are books that I have had on my list for quite some time. For whatever reason, I just feel that some of these books need the relaxed pace of summer for me to really enjoy them.

As you can see, there aren’t any light reads here. No beach reads really, and some of them deal with “end of the world” weirdness which I seem fascinated with at this point in my life. All of these books are new to me with the exception of The Stand. I read The Stand when I was nineteen. That was a good chunk of time ago and for years I have recommended it to people but to be honest, it HAS been ages since I read it, and so many books (The Passage included) are being compared to The Stand that I feel that a re-read is in order. I will be re-reading the the uncut version which includes 400 pages that King was forced to cut due to cost.

Other tidbits of interest:

I’ve never read an Austen book and when I asked folks on Facebook which one to read first, they pushed for Pride & Prejudice.
I hear nothing but good things about Dorothy Whipple so I thought I’d give her a whirl.
I read Less Than Zero in my college days so when I heard about Imperial Bedrooms I decided that it must be read. The audio book is read by Andrew McCarthy (he played Clay in the movie), which is tempting but I think I’ll read it.
Thomas from My Porch raved about Elinor Lipman so that’s why she appears on this list.
I love the Brat Pack and grew up with them so when I read Gayle’s review of You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried, I decided I had to read it.

So what do you think? Are there some good ones here? If I get through half of them, I’ll be thrilled. As you all know, summer doesn’t always mean more time. Especially for those of us that work and have kids. I’m hopeful though.

2010 Summer List #1

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
The Stand (Complete & Uncut) by Stephen King (re-reading)
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

2010 Summer List #2

Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple
Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis
Coming up for Air by George Orwell

2010 Summer List #3

You Couldn’t Ignore Me if you Tried by Susannah Gora
The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
Island by Aldous Huxley

2010 Summer List #4

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Tinkers by Paul Harding

2010 Summer List #5

The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

Kid #1 & #2 Promotion

This past week has been a busy one. On Friday, my son graduated (they call it promotion out here) from 6th grade. There was a ceremony to prepare for, so I took a few days off of work to just focus on that. It was a good move considering my “sick-in-bed” post last week.I needed a few extra days to regroup and prioritize.

Today, I am in a much better place but not until after a few emotional outbursts from the graduate. It seems that he considers himself a “man” now and his attitude took a nosedive which put a damper on all of the festivities. Frankly, all of it turned me into a blubbering idiot and I swore I would never be that but you know what? There’s a first time for everything.

The "Man"

I love the kid, but he sure can be a little…difficult.

Sunday Salon Button

Now that promotion is behind us and school is out, I can think “summer” and you know what that means? Summer camp, swimming, vacay and READING. Yeah, I still have to work but the pace is so much slower during the summer session that it’s actually kind of nice. A good time to catch-up on all of those projects that are half-done.

Right now I am reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. It’s good, but a tad slow for me. I’m hoping it picks up soon because I keep catching myself skimming. I’m still working on my summer reading list but it’s coming together. I think I’m done with it but I keep moving things around. I will probably post it within the next couple of days.

I’m also thinking of my next read-along venture. In July, Lisa from Lit & Life is thinking about doing a read-along for The Space Between Us, which I will definitely be a part of. I really enjoyed The Weight of Heaven so I can’t wait to read another book by Umrigar.

In August, I am thinking about doing a read-along for Orwell’s 1984. Any interest?

As for today, I plan to just relax and let the day unfold. What do you have planned?

BTW…the title of this post is a nod to everything Toy Story because it is EVERYWHERE! Three aisles of toys at Target. I can hear the $Cha-Ching$ from here.

Chatting with friends about books and life…