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.

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

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

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

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

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